Fallen Sakura
by Eowyn Organa
Summary: AU. Tokyo, 1925. Kagome seems destined on becoming the most famous geisha of all in the Shinbashi district, but a fateful meeting with a handsome delivery boy, Inuyasha, forces her to choose between her rising carrer and throwing it all away for love.
1. Mystery Geisha

A/N: Hello one and all! Here it is, I worked all day to get it out today! So, as you have seen, this is a geisha story. I have never seen an Inuyasha geisha story before, so I felt the need to make one, so here you go! I hope I don't disappoint. Now, a few notes, if you please:

This story is rated M for language (I decided to let doggy boy have his potty mouth, for once) and for some sexual situations. NOT for lemons. I will **NEVER** write a lemon, for reasons I have stated before. But there will be more mention of sex in this story, why I bumped the rating up.

I'll try to explain everything you need to know within the story, if you know absolutely nothing about geisha, but just some little vocabulary words today: **zori - **the laqured, platform sandals geisha wore. **shamisen - **the 3 stringed instrument, like a gutair that geisha played, using a large, wooden paddle-like thing to pluck the strongs. **okiya **- geisha houses run by the most senior geisha, called the mother.

And sadly, Inuyasha doesn't appear in this chapter. If you want to see what he looks like (he looks pretty hot in this getup, in my opinion), then go see my crappy concept work: http // www . deviantart . com / deviation / 57658782 /

One more note: At some points in the story, the characters may seem a little bit OOC, but I believe it is in character, due to the circumstances. I think Inuyasha would have been nicer to Kagome if she had more problems than he did. I think Kagome would have lost the will to love in her heart if she was brought up in the life of a geisha, etc. I'm just interpreting their reactions as I see them reacting in this situation.

And now, to the story! (I love my OC Yuki...she's like me when I go in to a historic place that I know a ton about. :p)

* * *

**Fallen Sakura**

**Chapter 1: Mystery Geisha**

_Tokyo, Modern Day_

Cars honked past on the crowded streets of Tokyo, their sound filling the small house that had been empty for years. It was as still as a tomb, practically sealed shut as a time capsule against the tall skyscrapers of the modern world. Its wooden walls and small frame stood out against the sea of sleek, metal buildings, and surely without its historical significance, it would have been torn down years ago. And now, for the first time in decades, the house was being opened once more, to reveal secrets, long forgotten.

"It's a cute house, Akane-chan," her friend, Yuki spoke, as the key slowly turned the lock of the small house until it clicked, before pushing the thick wooden door in until it finally opened. Light was shed on to a floor that hadn't seen the light of day in nearly four decades. "Plus, you should have seen Koshita-san when I told him what house you bought. He was practically jumping in excitement!"

Two women emerged through the low doorway, one slightly taller, with short, brownish hair, while the other had long, black hair put up in a ponytail. They both were about twenty, modern young women with a purpose already set forth in the world. Akane looked around at the small, first room. It was large, but empty and incredibly dusty, with barely seen layouts of tatami mats, since so rotted from age. The dark room looked like one you'd see in someone's cellar, age-showing and conspicuously empty.

"It's certainly a fixer-upper," Akane muttered, walking around. The main room was large enough that it could be a living room eventually, and there were two more rooms on the main floor, with another on a second level. With some work, the perfect living space for a student, conveniently close by the university.

"It _is _a historic building, however," said Yuki, looking around. "This used to be the photographer Toutousai's studio, back in the 1920's. Over the years, before the last owner bought it and left it this way in the 1960's, there were a lot of things found here. Some old photos, cameras, and upstairs they found one of the greatest discoveries; an expensive jade geisha comb!"

Akane glanced at her as she looked towards the stairs in the back of the room leading to the one bedroom above the old studio. "A geisha comb? Geisha's just didn't just leave their combs lying around, did they? Was this photographer rich enough to have his own geisha?"

Yuki shook her head as she examined the room in the back, to be deemed the new kitchen. "No, his clients probably were, though. Besides, the photographer didn't live here; he had his own apartment halfway across town. This was just his studio. He rented out the room upstairs."

"You certainly know a lot about this place, Yuki-chan," Akane spoke, opening up the side door into the small room. It must have been the dark room, because she couldn't even see her way in unless she slid the door open completely. It would be a good bathroom, once it was finished.

Yuki followed her into the old dark room, shrugging. "With my work at the Tokyo Historical Society, I hear a lot. Besides, Koshita-san's new research project has led him here; he's been up and down this place and old teahouses from 1925 as much as he can. He's practically obsessed, but he hasn't told me quite what—"

Akane took one step towards the back of the room, when, the board beneath her foot gave way. She barely had time to gasp as her left foot fell to her ankle down into the floor, the jolt of the stop twisting it.

"Akane-chan!" Yuki rushed to her side. "Are you all right?"

Grunting, Akane pulled her now muddy foot and ruined designer shoe from the hole in the floorboards. "Yeah…I think I might have twisted it, though."

While Akane inspected the damage to her foot, Yuki glanced at the hole in the floor. A rain gutter or something must have leaked down, causing the wood to rot. Looks like even more fixing up was required here too. But just as Yuki was about to pull away, she glanced at something, hidden underneath the floorboards, yet it was too dark to make out. "Do you have a flashlight, Akane-chan?"

Akane handed over the small one she kept in her purse, and both women glanced over the hole as Yuki shined the light down into it. There, off to the side, she saw it; stuck between two planks of wood, something like a piece of paper lay there. Careful not to get any splinters, Yuki gently pulled the paper from where it had been trapped. It didn't feel like paper…And when she shined the light on it, it wasn't at all.

It was a photograph; an old, age and water spotted black and white photo, showing two people; a man and a woman. The woman looked just like every other woman in an old Japanese picture—she wore a richly embroidered kimono, lacquered zori, the works, and carried with her an open umbrella, something women were seen with frequently back then, though it wasn't positioned in any way artistic in this photo. Her expression was not modest, like most women used at the time, but she was in profile, looking up towards the man, her eyes meeting his in an expression that could only be called longing.

In fact, nothing at all about this photo looked posed at all.

The man was even stranger. He didn't dress up, but merely wore what working men wore at the time; dark pants, held up by suspenders, over a striped, button up shirt, sleeves rolled up to above his elbow. And while his expression seemed to match hers, his eyes were a light color, the same with his hair, and…were those _dog ears _on top of his head?

"Who was this?" Yuki wondered out loud, suddenly filled with curiosity that would never cease.

* * *

"You found _this _in that old studio?" Mr. Koshita gasped, when Yuki and Akane brought the picture to the Tokyo Historical Society office the next day. Mr. Koshita was only in his thirties, and with his large glasses and a love for anything over half a century old, he was a bit of an eccentric. But finally, after searching through dozens of old records, there was another lead on his latest project. 

"You know who it is, Koshita-san?" Yuki asked, while her boss walked over to a table strewn with old photographs and records, comparing the picture. "Does it have anything to do with your latest project?"

"It _is _my latest project," he confirmed, pulling another picture up from the table. It again was black and white, and to Yuki and Akane's surprise, the same woman appeared, in the same kimono she wore in the first photo. The umbrella made an appearance there as well.

Akane spoke up, "Then, _who _is she?"

Mr. Koshita didn't respond, but turned to his computer, clicking on a few files. "How much do you know about geisha, Akane-san?"

"Not much," she admitted. "I know they flourished in Japan until World War II, but—"

"Geisha are still some of the most mysterious people in the history of the world," Koshita began, turning his monitor to show them both an image. "Yet they are some of the most accurate record keepers ever known. We have the name of every geisha in Tokyo up to about the 1890's." The image was of an old page of a geisha registry in the Shinbashi district, which, even Akane knew, was so large at the time that it was compared to the great Gion in Kyoto. The page supposedly listed all existing geisha in the district by okiya in the fall of 1925. There were so many names, on the page; yet, it appeared one name had been scratched out, right underneath the names Hanagwa Kikyou and Taijiya Sango, both from the Tsubaki Okiya.

"Like I said, we have the name of every geisha in Tokyo; except hers." While both Akane and Yuki stared at the screen in wonder, Koshita turned back to the table, picking up a few more photos. "Geisha also tried to take credit for any amount of publicity they could—it helped their career. Yet, there is no name at all for this woman ever given in any book, or record."

The other pictures were certainly of the same woman, done in the same studio. She must have been a model for the photographer often, since she appeared in several different kimono, her face pale white with the lips painted red, as a geisha was expected. Sometimes she appeared with fans, or was in a pose like a dance, or with her shamisen.. "The old photographer Toutousai sold her pictures to various tourist organizations, trying to improve tourism to Japan," Koshita explained, showing them a 1926 brochure written all in English, featuring a similar picture of hers on the inside.

"When I first found these, I just assumed it was an unnamed geisha, but I didn't become fascinated with Tokyo's "Mystery Geisha" until I saw this." A shocking picture indeed, so different from all the others, featured the geisha in something most geisha found offensive—western clothing. The woman lay on the couch previously used in other pictures, in a pose that reflected that of American movie stars of the time. She wore no geisha make up, yet with her sly smile and sparkling eyes, she looked more beautiful like that than all the "proper" photographs she posed in.

Something was still bugging Yuki about all this. "Koshita-san, the woman who's name is scratched out—how do you know this is her?"

Always a thorough researcher, Koshita had it figured out. "A passage from the memoirs of Taijiya Sango, who married and was later known as Houshi Sango."

The book, a little bit old and reread several times, was on his desk, bookmarked to the passage. He picked it up and read out loud, "'_Up until now, I have not been entirely truthful about my life. There was another geisha in our okiya, who was my age, and at one time, heading towards being the most famous geisha of all in Shinbashi. Yet, something happened, which led to her leaving my life forever. Now, as I have learned, her name is erased from history, yet she will live on in pictures for eternity._'"

"And she never mentions her name?" Akane asked, glancing at the book which said it was written in 1976.

Mr. Koshita shook his head. "Geisha were taught to keep secrets, so no doubt she wanted to respect her friend's privacy."

"That still doesn't answer the main question, though," Yuki spoke, feeling frustrated by this puzzle. "Why was that geisha's name erased? Why is she the only one forgotten from records?"

Holding up the photograph the girls had found the day before, he smiled. "I think you two may have finally found the answer."

"The man?" Akane asked. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"Look at him," Yuki explained, pointing out his simple clothes. "Geisha associated with rich men. He doesn't look rich to me—he definitely isn't her patron. And look at _her…_" She didn't need to explain. The look the woman had on her face was the look every schoolgirl once had around a certain boy.

"So…she fell in love with him? Is that it?"

Mr. Koshita shook his head. "That is the problem. Other geisha had affairs and left in disgrace, but were never erased from the record. This geisha must have done something so appalling to the geisha profession that she would never be spoken of again."

"I see…" Akane's eyes drifted back to that picture, the obvious attraction between the two people clear as day. "So, we'll never know…"

"At this point, we don't know," Mr. Koshita spoke, sinking down in a chair at the end of his cluttered, dim office. "But perhaps, with this discovery, things are beginning to become clear…clearer than before. Maybe one day, they will be clear enough to tell her story."

* * *

_A life erased from history. A tale never to be told again. Now, the 'Sakura Blossom of Tokyo' is lost forever, buried deep in the forgotten secrets of geisha lore. She was a geisha who was headed on being the most famous of all, yet one day, it all vanished—her reputation, her memory, and even herself. But, her story is one like no other, a tale of love, scandal, and a choice between throwing it all away for a heart's deepest desire, or becoming the most famous geisha ever to grace Shinbashi._

_Her story began eighty years ago, in Tokyo..._

* * *

_Tokyo, Shinbashi district, 1925_

The music of the flute and shamisen was like a river, carrying the geisha along with the song as she stepped forward, her face hidden behind her fan. The fan was tilted to reveal only her brown eyes; a color as deep as chocolate, holding many secrets within. The music had begun slowly, and so, the woman dipped, her eyes never leaving the man seated across from her, a trick she had learned over the years.

Graciously, she stepped forward, the song reminding her of being swept along by a river current, much like she had been swept along with her life these ten long years. As the music began to speed up, do did she; her pale blue fan moving away from her face to reveal a painted one; white, with red lips, always without an expression.

Her blue kimono swished like water around her as she danced, the music imitating fast, rushing water, for the song was about a woman who had fallen in and drowned in the current. With no emotions shown, the dancing geisha used her movements to imitate the woman's suffering, letting herself remember all the years she had struggled, and tried to keep on top of the ever changing, terrifying current of her training years as a geisha.

The music became faster, and, looking back, she saw his blue eyes upon her again, watching her every move. She turned, her fan rising higher and higher as the music struck high notes; the water closing in, while the bare nape of her neck and low white collar of her grey kimono was revealed to the eyes of the man, unable to look away.

Finally, as the music hit a trill, she turned once more, and sunk to her knees, fan covering her face once more. The woman had drowned; but the geisha had survived, fortunate enough to be in this room with the man sitting across from her, entranced by her dance.

Claps were heard all around as she stood to her full height, allowing a little smile to show through. The other two geisha who were playing instruments stood up, and the men clapped for them as well. They, however, didn't appreciate it as much as the dancing geisha had—she was always nervous when she danced, because she was no natural at it like her older sister Kikyou, nor able to block everything out and automatically remember the steps like her "sister" Sango, every second she was nervous she would trip, and break the illusion; the tightly woven illusion that geisha spun every second of their lives.

"Wonderful, Kagome," the blue eyed man, who also had fangs and pointed ears—he was from one of the last youkai families left in Japan—said as she sat down to serve him more sake. "Every time I see you dance, you are better than ever."

Kagome bowed her head in thanks, so much that one of her dangling hair ornaments in the hair elegantly piled on her head clinked the hanging metal strips. "Thank you, Kouga-san, but perhaps you should see me dance more often; I might even become as great a dancer as Kikyou-onee-san one day!"

Kikyou, who had been playing the flute, turned to glance at her, her bright red kimono nearly blazing in the pale, white room. "If you had listened when I tried to teach you, then perhaps you would have become a good dancer. You only wanted to sing, as I recall." Kikyou had been named both Kagome and Sango's older sister years ago, to teach them the art of being a geisha. Her dancing skills earned her fame as a maiko, but it appeared her talent would pass on to neither of her younger sisters.

"But she has such a beautiful voice, so who could deny her that?" Kouga grinned, making Kagome glance down and smile once more, looking as if she had blushed under the praise like a nervous young girl, not the calm, cold twenty year old woman that she was.

"I've never heard her sing," Another man in the room, served by Sango, asked. "Is she really that good?"

"Better," Sango glanced over at her sister with a smile. "I once heard her described by the Chinese Ambassador as 'a voice sweeter than a nightingale'."

The man being poured sake by Kikyou glanced towards her and raised his glass. "Then let's hear her sing!" The other man agreed whole heartedly.

Before Kagome could protest, Sango waved her hand, causing her short violet sleeve to brush against the large man's knee. "No, we can't have that. Only one song played a night, remember? That was our little rule. You requested that she dance, so she will have to sing tomorrow."

Both men grumbled while Kikyou and Sango shook their heads, and Kagome was thankful Sango had spared her of it. She liked to sing, but if she was talked into singing at parties, she was also talked in to singing bawdy songs that a common fisherman would sing down by the docks at night.

"Trust me, gentlemen, when you hear her sing, it will be worth it," Kouga, her patron, flashed her a handsome smile. "She is already a little famous for her singing; I believe a few have started calling her the 'Sakura Blossom of Tokyo' even, for her blossoming little career."

Kagome gave him a small, secret smile back, while he stared at her, his eyes reflecting his love. But her eyes never gave him such a hint; only her words and expressions told this lie. Everyone hidden behind the white mask knew geisha did not love, and even for all his kindness, she would never love Kouga.

But as for her blossoming career, that was something different. She knew, that with a rich man as her patron, she could do it. Within years, she could become the most famous geisha in all of Shinbashi district, using her talent at singing, followed by her well practiced charm and wit.

And Higurashi Kagome, Sakura Blossom of Tokyo would be a name to remembered. Her only goal, and deepest desire was to have her name spoken years after her death, and that _would _happen. Behind her smiles, that was all that lay; constant calculating thoughts of how to achieve this goal, so far away and yet so attainable. Her heart was cold, never to be warmed again, lest she forget her mission. She knew, in a hundred years, they would still remember her name in awe.

If only she knew how things were to change…


	2. The Sakura Blossom of Tokyo

A/N: RPGs will be the death of me, I'll never stop playing them until I beat 'em...

Anyway, not too many notes this time, I think I explained everything. Inuyasha wasn't supposed to appear until chapter 3, but I gamve him a small cameo anyway. I can't get enough of that guy. ;P

And as for the song Kagome sings, I sat down a couple of months ago and did write out full lyrics for it, but...I seem to have lost them. D: If I ever find them, maybe I'll put it in this chapter but for now, no lyrics, sorry. (And I liked 'em, too!)

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Sakura Blossom of Tokyo**

The morning sun that came through the window was enough to light the small, yet comfortable room. The new light was enough to view what was on the walls; elegant ink paintings surrounded by posters advertising American movies, along with pictures of celebrities far away, including an expensive singed photo from the American actor John Gilbert, the occupant's prized possession.

Behind closed doors, the semi-famous geisha Higurashi Kagome lived a life much like any other woman her age; but no one she associated with in her profession could ever know that.

It was early morning, and while she began her daily routine by picking a plainer kimono to wear for the day out of her small closet, the gramophone in the corner played soft jazz music in her ears. She had always been fascinated by this place far overseas called America, where women weren't the slaves of their husbands, or sold to geisha or prostitution houses at a young age. Women there could be what they wanted, do what they wanted, without having to worry about what would happen if scandal hit.

Glancing in her mirror, Kagome decided the dark brown kimono would do for the day; after all, she had to go shopping with Sango and run some more errands before nightfall, when the daily grand performance would begin.

Her long, black hair swished down to her waist as she let it out of the braid she slept in, falling like a curtain as she turned to put on the kimono over the under robe. Her hair usually remained up in its elaborate hairstyles all the time, but today was the day she had to have it redone, and was granted a luxurious sleep the night before on a real pillow instead of that horrid "tall pillow" which supported the neck but left the rest of the head suspended in midair, to preserve the style.

Many things she did daily seemed like torture, but she had learned at a young age that to be a geisha meant suffering for beauty. And oh, how she knew that was true.

Kagome had just finished tying the black obi, adjusting it slightly to fit perfectly, before she heard the noise of a brush scrubbing just outside her room. She knew that sound well after all these years of living in the Tsubaki okiya.

Sliding the door open to look in to the narrow hall; the jazz music played on her gramophone filling the rest of the okiya, Kagome saw a young girl on her hands and knees, scrubbing a small spot in the wood. "Rin-chan," Kagome asked, the girl turning up to look at her. "Do you know if Sango-chan is up yet?"

The girl shook her head. "No, Sango is still asleep, but I think she might get up soon." Rin didn't stay long to talk; she had to finish scrubbing the hallway before Tsubaki got angry, and continued her hard work.

Rin had been sold to the okiya nearly three years ago, and had worked as a maid ever since. She went to the geisha school in the afternoons, but her mornings and evenings were filled with jobs simple maids would do. Luckily, Tsubaki had hinted that soon Rin would become a maiko, and take an older sister from the okiya. Kagome had said nothing, but seeing how this girl suffered and being reminded of the suffering she had gone through during those years made her wish that she could be Rin's older sister.

Kagome's life as a geisha had began much like Rin's. She had lived with her mother, brother and grandfather in the poor slums of Tokyo when she was young, and happy. But her family had sold her to the okiya when she was ten, to give her a better life. She began as a simple maid; as all future geisha do when they first arrive at the okiya, and for a while, she was resentful of this decision her family made for her.

She was grateful, much later on; a fire spread through the slums a year later, killing what was left of her family. After mourning, she learned to move on, and live life to become a geisha, the only thing left now. Eventually, after a few years of hard work, she became a maiko under her "elder sister" Kikyou. And now, she was a full geisha; in total control of her career and some of her life.

The bell outside the okiya chimed, making Kagome wonder who it was that had come so early; or at least, early for geisha who frequently slept in. She went to her window; brown kimono swishing slightly, and peered behind the bamboo curtain. Kagome couldn't see fully who it was, but she did she a figure leaning up against a large, rickshaw cart, piled with packages. _Must be some more deliveries…_ she thought, turning away as a maid answered the door.

Kagome left her room, nearly to run in to Sango on the landing. Her friend wore a plain green kimono, with her hair down as well, since they had both agreed on going to the hairdressers today. "You're up early," Kagome commented as they both came down the stairs.

"Someone was playing their music too loud," Sango glared back, making Kagome smile innocently. "I don't get how you can stand it; it's so exotic."

"It's interesting, I think. So different than what you hear in Japan. Besides, with more Americans coming here, we probably should at least attempt to like their music."

Sango rolled her eyes, but despite their discrepancies in music, they were the best of friends. Sango, though a year older than Kagome, had come to the okiya after her, when the fire had killed all of her family, except her younger brother. The only way she could think of to pay his medical bills was to try and find work, and it was either work as a geisha or work as a prostitute. Luckily, this small okiya took her in, though her brother's care greatly increased her debt.

But ever since she had found her patron, the factory owner Miroku, he had taken care of that for her. Sango had been extremely lucky in finding such a kind man, in a world where kindness was scarce. She met him back when she was still a maiko, preparing for the important mizuage ceremony. Sango hadn't been in the geisha world for as long as Kagome had, and the thought of giving herself freely for the first time to the highest bidder terrified her. But Miroku had seen that, in an a kind gesture, bought her mizuage instead. But, unlike every other mizuage patron, instead of using that night for what he paid for, they sat up and talked the entire night, the night he joked he fell in love with her. Soon afterward, he became her full time patron, in only for the pleasure of her company.

Kagome was the only one who knew of this, and kept her friend's secret. While Miroku had been far kinder to Sango than any man had been to Kagome, to have a geisha her age still a virgin was something that would cause quite a scandal. It was obvious to anyone that Miroku was trying to make Sango fall in love with him, and because of what he had done for her and the kindness he continued to show her, Kagome knew he was succeeding.

Sango was far luckier in her regard, yet Kagome had learned years ago to put the darker part of her duties as a geisha behind her, forgetting about them most of the time. She would bear it, only for the goal she knew she had to achieve.

The maids were just serving an early breakfast in the dining room, and it was no surprise to Kagome and Sango to see their older sister Kikyou already sitting there; bowl of rice in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Kikyou was always up early, looking stunning as usual. "Onee-san," the both said at once to her, giving a small bow as they sat down, as expected of them to do for the most senior geisha in the okiya.

Kikyou set the newspaper down with a snort, rolling her eyes at the latest news. "It's ridiculous. One minute Emperor Taisho tries to make a treaty with China, the next another rival treaty with the Soviet Union."

Kagome cocked an eyebrow at her older sister. "I thought you didn't care about politics, onee-san."

"I don't," Kikyou replied simply, looking at the photo from the paper. "But since I'm entertaining a minister of foreign affairs, I should at least know what he's talking about. Now I wonder why I bother."

Their small conversation was cut off, as another figure was heard on the stairs. All three geisha turned to see the mother of the okiya, Tsubaki, emerge. Tsubaki wasn't that old; she was only a few years older than Kikyou, making them both rivals when the late mother of the okiya was deathly ill and had to choose a successor, quickly. Kikyou had wanted the job, but in the end, the old mother chose Tsubaki, who had earned more money through shady means rather than to be a respectful geisha like Kikyou. In the end, it was a bad choice, since not two months after the old mother died, Tsubaki was burned badly in an accident, and still carried the ugly scar over her right eye. She would earn no more money as a geisha, and had to rely upon the three other geisha in the okiya.

Each had given her a different title. Sango, and the rest of the people in the okiya called her simply, "Okaa-san," yet Kagome, who still missed her own birth mother greatly, could not call another one by that, and simply called her "Tsubaki-kaa-san." Kikyou would never call her rival that, and so called her "Tsubaki," something only she got away with.

Tsubaki didn't respond to them, only glanced around at Sango and Kagome, dressed in their simple kimono with their hair down. "_Where _are you two going dressed like that?"

Sango shrugged, "Kagome-chan and I have a few errands we have to run this day, Okaa-san. We've done it before."

"You'd be better if you got everything delivered here. Geisha shouldn't be seen if they are not ready for the day." Everyone was used to Tsubaki's criticisms and foul temper. She had been pacified when she was made mother of the okiya, but after her accident and Kikyou earning more money with her dancing talent than Tsubaki ever did, her annoyance at every little thing had returned and would never go away.

"It is easier if we see for ourselves what is in the shops, then trust it to chance to have it delivered here," replied Kagome. "Besides, Sango and I were going to also stop by the bathhouse and the hairdressers, and you wouldn't want us walking around in our fancy kimono like that, would you?"

The mother of the okiya merely rolled her eyes, kneeling at the low table beside them as she ate her breakfast. "And where is that little maid? Has she finished her chores?"

"Rin-chan?" Kagome asked, "I saw her earlier, she was working hard, and probably has been ever since dawn."

"Hmph," Tsubaki glared back at her. "You are too sentimental, Kagome. A geisha's life is full of hardship, as you _should_ remember."

Kagome rose from the table, turning towards the door, with narrowed eyes. "I never forget it, Tsubaki-kaa-san." Though her voice remained normal, for only a moment, her eyes glared like ice.

Realizing their talk was over, Sango also rose, giving a small bow to her geisha mother. "Kagome-chan and I should get going, Okaa-san. We want to get our shopping over with before we have to get ready for the evening."

The second they were out of the okiya and a maid sparked the flint at their backs, an old tradition, Sango rounded on her friend. "Is something wrong, Kagome-chan? You seemed a bit upset after Okaa-san talked to you."

Kagome shook her head as they crossed the street and headed out in to the heart of the Shinbashi hanamachi. "It's nothing, Sango-chan…Just bad memories."

When Kagome glanced back at her, Sango knew just what 'bad memories' she was referring to. Quickly changing the subject, she asked, "So where should we go first, shopping, or to the bathhouse?"

Thinking of the day out on the town, Kagome smiled all the bad memories away. Thus was her life: all hardship and sadness hidden behind that smiling, alluring façade. "I'd rather go to the bathhouse first; we can get our shopping done after."

The two smiling geisha continued on their way, chatting about recent news and gossip; so preoccupied, they hardly noticed the man pulling the rickshaw cart piled with packages pass them by. For a moment, he stopped in the shadow of a tall building, and watched them pass, wondering what it was about their life that made them appear to be so content at that moment.

"Keh," he muttered, dropping the butt of the cigarette he had been smoking into the dirt and continuing with his deliveries. It didn't matter; he had learned from experience never to take geisha by first appearance.

It was better for him if those women that turned men's heads and gave false smiles of promise were avoided all together.

* * *

Laughter was heard all around the teahouse, as Sango, now fully made up for the evening entertaining, smirked slightly at the end of her joke. She was a popular geisha in Shinbashi because even though she seemed soft and demure like most geisha appeared to be, she could converse with men with absolutely no problem at all. Kagome wished she could have the ease like her when speaking, but she always felt a little bit nervous in public, even after all this time.

Kagome continued to pour sake for Kouga as he laughed and glanced over at Houshi Miroku, who had joined them for the evening. While Kouga earned his wealth through services to the military, then later on opened one of Japan's first automobile factories, Miroku had had the good fortune to be the son of an entrepreneur in Osaka. They had been together for a lot of geisha parties, with a new deal being made between their respective companies.

Kagome glanced over at her friend and geisha sister, who now poured sake for her own patron. Though Sango, when serving other men and hearing their vulgar jokes, seemed like she couldn't blush, there was only one man whom could say hardly anything at all, and she would be as bright red as a maid in springtime. "And you wonder why I keep coming back to visit you, Sango," Miroku grinned, spotting the hint of red in her cheeks even under the white make up.

"I thought it was because you conduct your business meetings in Shinbashi, not because I am here," she spoke quickly, averting her eyes in hopes he wouldn't spot her blush.

"But why would I come here just for _that_," his hand slipped beneath the small table to grasp hers, making her eyes open wider for just a moment. "When I can come to see the most beautiful geisha in all of Shinbashi?"

"I have to differ with you, Houshi-san," Kouga cut in, making Miroku stop his attempted wooing. "I believe that Kagome here might be a challenge to that title."

Kagome _hated _when any man, especially Kouga, of all people, did this. So many geisha friendships were ruined by men claiming which one was the prettiest. Of course, she couldn't quite stop him; you did everything to make your clients happy, she learned early on. She did the best thing in that situation; thanked him and attempted to steer the conversation away from this. "You are too kind, Kouga-san. But isn't this an unfair contest, when every man will claim his own geisha is the most beautiful? And we geisha could never decide for ourselves on this matter; even the modest ones. We are too polite, I am afraid. Even the ugliest geisha will be called beautiful, because advertising her as the 'ugliest geisha in Shinbashi' isn't going to advertise well, is it?"

Laughter was heard around the room again, and Kagome was thankful she had averted the situation. However, she didn't like what she heard next from another man she did not know seated to Kouga's right. "But we know that your geisha has the most beautiful singing voice in all of Shinbashi, right?"

"True," replied Kouga. "When I first met her, two years ago, the first thing that made me in love with her was her voice."

Ah, Kagome remembered that meeting well. Just a few months after her debut as a full geisha, when she was eighteen, she preformed a small piece in the Summer Dances; her first time doing a solo on stage. After the performance, Kouga came up to meet her, saying he just had to speak with the woman whose 'beautiful voice had entranced him'. Knowing there was an opportunity in this, Kagome obliged and spoke with him kindly. Only a month later, he put in a bid to become her full patron, which given the sum he had promised, Tsubaki accepted at once.

Kouga often boasted he was in love with her, but for Kagome…she could never love him. Maybe it was because their relationship felt so forced, as a geisha to patron, or perhaps it was because she felt he was a good friend before she knew he wanted to become her patron…or maybe it was because her heart had been sealed away and she couldn't love anymore. Whatever the reason, she knew love was something she couldn't give him; only smiles, and lies instead of the real thing.

"Then can she sing tonight?" Kouga's business partner asked. "I've waited to hear the famous voice of the 'Sakura Blossom' for weeks; I don't want to have to wait any longer!"

Kagome didn't like being told when to sing, like some wind up doll, but when Kouga turned to her and pleaded, she had no choice. It wasn't like she had one in the first place. And so, she obliged them; sitting next to Sango while her friend played the shamisen, she closed her eyes for a moment and remembered a song she learned, long ago.

It was a song her mother had taught her, a song about the falling of sakura blossoms. The melody sounded light; mimicking the graceful fall of the white petals to the ground. It spoke of the sadness in the tree, missing the beautiful petals as the left it for the earth; like a mother missing her child away far from home, and a woman, calling for her long lost lover. While she sung, with the soft tune of the shamisen accompanying her, she could almost remember her mother holding her, long ago, as they sat underneath the Sakura tree, the petals gently floating around them.

A past, long gone, and an uncertain future; that is what the song spoke to Kagome all these long years.

When she finished, she was pulled from the memory, and back to the present, where all the men clapped for her as she finished. They seemed to think she pulled a ditty from thin air; only Sango knew how much that song meant to her.

"A beautiful song," Kouga's business partner said, but glanced out the small window of the teahouse to see the trees nearby. "But it's too bad we don't have any sakura blossoms now to sing about." Because of the colder winter, the sakura were taking a little bit more time to blossom this year.

"We have one," Kouga grinned back at Kagome, who turned to meet his gaze, her expression revealing nothing. "The most beautiful Sakura blossom of all."

Kagome returned his smile, but did not feel it in her heart.

That night would be like other nights; later on, Kouga asked her to meet him in his rented apartment deeper in the city. She couldn't refuse. After she left the teahouse once the party was over, she took one of the small cabs that sometimes went in to the hanamachi down to the heart of Tokyo; she knew well by now where Kouga's apartment was.

Her face was expressionless as she took the stairs up to his apartment. It was night; and now was the time for her other, darker duties to her geisha patron.

Kouga met her at the door, and he chatted about various things, but that, of course, was not the reason he brought her there. Kagome wasn't nervous, or afraid; she had done this for far too long to be. Like always, she felt numb; not allowing anything to get out of the barrier she had erected between the world around her and her true thoughts and feelings.

And then it happened; Kouga came close, looking at her with love struck eyes, then pulled her in to his arms and kissed her. It happened just like it did in those American romance movies, only, in those, the woman always kissed him back with as much passion as he showed her. But, though she tried to act and return his forced passion, her heart did not race. Her senses did not go dizzy. And all the while, she just waited for it to be over.

Later that night, as Kouga slept on the futon in the center of the room, Kagome sat against the wall in her under kimono, her make up now washed off and her hair down around her shoulders once more. She could never sleep after this; feeling like it was too shameful.

Her eyes glanced over at the window, to see the small sliver of a crescent moon. Only now did she allow her true feelings to show. She was a geisha, and this was her job as a geisha. She wanted to be the most famous geisha of all in Shinbashi, so high that nothing could ever bring her down or hurt her again…but why, sometimes, did it feel like she was doing something wrong in her heart?

She had no choice in her life, but somehow, she felt like she was going down the wrong path. And if she was, there was the unanswered question; what _was _the other path, and if she went down it, what would result?

Would she ever find out?

Glancing back at Kouga, Kagome could do nothing but hug her knees to her chest, leaning back so her face was caught in the moonlight, and wait until dawn.


	3. A Fateful Meeting

A/N: And, the introduction of Inuyasha! I didn't know what last name to give him, so I just stuck with the standard "Takahashi". And, for the person who asked, Kouga's last name is "Ookami". Unoriginal, I know. D:

Many people have been asking about the geisha/patron relationship after the last chapter. True, sex was not a part of a geisha's duties to her patron. HOWEVER, from the golden age of the geisha (1890's) to about the 1950's, it was considered the norm that geisha were their patron's mistresses. Patrons paid for EVERYTHING for their geisha, and sometimes, they would demand certain "services" in return, threatening to drop their geisha if they did not do them. This became a popular way for rich men to get some rather than be shameful and go to a brothel, so by the 1920's, patrons considered geisha as artists AND their own personal mistress. So yes, it is not unusual or considered shameful in any way that Kagome is Kouga's lover.

Sango and Miroku's relationship is more like modern geisha and their patrons, where sex is not required. Nowadays, geisha may choose to sleep with their patrons, but it is not "part of the deal". I hope this clears that up.

More vocab. :3 **ema - **wooden "charms" that people write wishes for the gods on and hang them in shrines. **sen **- 1/100th of a yen. Not used anymore.

Smoking is bad, kids!

* * *

**Chapter 3: A Fateful Meeting**

There was nothing unusual at all in the hanamachi that day; everything was as it had been for years. Though, for Higurashi Kagome, Sakura Blossom of Tokyo, it was a day that would change her whole life.

"Destiny is awakening," said the fortune teller the last time Kagome went to visit, and ever since then, she had wondered about the meaning behind her words. Destiny could mean so many things to a geisha—fame, fortune, or scandal. And when she had also said, "A meeting to change your life is near," Kagome was constantly wondering who it was she would meet and how it would change her life.

A prosperous man, to help her on her way up to becoming the most famous geisha in all of Shinbashi? She hoped so, but only time would tell. It had been weeks since her visit to the fortune teller; and she had met no one who had helped her along that path since.

But a geisha's life was bent of waiting; waiting for the right chance, to seize it and take full advantage. And once that chance finally came, Kagome was certain of seizing it and using it to gain her way as high as she could go.

The morning of that day, she and Sango were out, walking around the Shinbashi district, for no particular reason; mainly to escape Mother Tsubaki and her tyranny over the okiya. Kagome was laughing and talking with her friend, having forgotten the fortune teller's words for the moment.

"So then, Houshi-san began his whole talk of marriage again, telling me he was glad he was unmarried because that gave him the right to pick one of his wives from the 'lovely women of Shinbashi'." Sango spoke, folding her arms over her green leaf kimono. "The way he talks, he acts like he's about to propose to me every day; as if I was free to leave Shinbashi at any moment."

Though Sango protested she didn't like it when her patron professed his undying love to her, Kagome knew better. "If you wanted to marry him, Sango-chan, then you _are _free to leave Shinbashi; unlike most geisha who have no where to go but here. You had a childhood in another place, another life, whereas for me, Shinbashi is my home. I don't think I could leave it if I tried."

Her friend glanced back at her, smiling. "I couldn't leave Shinbashi so easily, Kagome-chan, not when you'd be left here without me."

"I wish you would not talk to me like I am some kind of little sister that you need to take care of!" she protested, whirling around to face her so that her light blue kimono sleeves flapped as she moved.

"But you _are _my younger sister, ever since okaa-san thought to make Kikyou-onee-san teach us both," replied Sango matter-of-factly. "Besides, sometimes I think you need someone to look after you, especially now, since you haven't been as happy as usual lately."

Her words put Kagome on the defensive. "What do you mean?" she asked, glancing back at her. Even though she was wearing her white make up, designed to hide all emotions, it was obvious that question had made her uneasy.

"It's true, even if you don't realize it," her sister replied. "You aren't as carefree as you usually are. Is something on your mind?"

Kagome debated on whether or not she should tell her. She settled for a half answer. "I don't know, Sango-chan…I want to be the most famous geisha in all of Shinbashi, but…sometimes, I begin to wonder if that is the right path for me. And, if it isn't, then…what is?"

In an attempt to cheer her up, Sango indicated to the shrine across the street. "Why don't you ask what the right path is, then? It wouldn't hurt."

Did she really want to ask in prayer? What if the answer was something she didn't like? But the last time she had asked for something at a shrine, something she desperately wanted…it never came true. "It can't hurt," she agreed, as they crossed the dusty path towards the small shrine.

It wasn't as large as some of the other shrines in Shinbashi, or Tokyo, for that matter, but it would do. The shrine only had one priest; an old man who was sweeping the front steps as the two geisha walked in. It was relatively empty, except for a few people praying in the back of the shrine.

The shrine itself was a peaceful place, having a few trees to setback the maze of wooden okiya in the heart of the Shinbashi hanamachi. The trees were sakura trees, yet there were no blossom on them at all. Despite being late for season, they still hadn't bloomed yet this year.

Kagome didn't pray at the shine, since she only prayed for the departed souls of her family once a year; on the anniversary of the fire in the Tokyo slum that took their lives. While Sango prayed for her brother's full recovery of his illness, Kagome instead took a blank wooden ema from the box to write a wish for the gods.

Before writing, she paused for a moment—what should she ask for? Before, she had wanted to ask for luck in becoming the most successful geisha in all of Shinbashi…but that didn't sound right to her. She remembered thinking about what path in her life she should take, and so, she began writing.

In the end, her ema asked to be put on the right path that would lead to her destiny. Destiny wasn't much of a word for geisha, since their destiny was clear; to entertain men until they were too old, then live as a geisha mother or an older geisha at an okiya, raising new geisha until they died, forgotten.

_But my destiny will be different,_ Kagome had decided. How, she did not yet know. But something told her that her future would not end that way. She had already touched into geisha fame...would she in fact be remembered as the most famous geisha in Shinbashi after all?

But she had her doubts. She heard years ago the most famous geisha in Gion eventually killed herself in 1919. Would becoming the most famous geisha in Shinbashi lead to a similar path of depression? Or would being the most famous give her a hand over her own life, like she hadn't had in ten years?

_Just…give me the path that will lead to happiness,_ Kagome asked, glancing up at the sky, hoping someone would hear her.

* * *

Ah, the Shinbashi district. Full of nothing but geisha, and their rich, good for nothing patrons. The man pulling the rickshaw cart sneered as he entered that district of Tokyo, always loathing coming to this place, mostly because of the geisha. They were nothing but two faced women, women who, after one encounter, he didn't want to deal with now. 

And here, they were everywhere, smiling at everything, thinking only of the money they were making to keep them happy. At least, that was how he saw it.

The only good thing about Shinbashi was that it didn't have many roads, unlike the rest of Tokyo. While many in the city had begun using those western automobiles, these geisha districts liked keeping their dirt roads, and those who lived there couldn't afford them, either. Meaning that as he ran to get his job done, he wouldn't have to dodge those infernal things and avoid getting run over.

Tossing a cigarette butt on the ground, Takahashi Inuyasha decided that was indeed the _only _good think about this district. He still was treated the same as he was everywhere else; people staring at his silver hair and amber eyes, gasping at his unusual dog ears on his head, and wondering how a hanyou could have survived long enough to gain a meager job as a delivery boy.

Youkai were rare in Japan these days; those that still existed earned themselves high posts in the military or in industry long ago, to survive. But being a hanyou, the only place he got a job was delivering for various stores with his small rickshaw cart. It wasn't a desirable job, but at least it paid enough.

But, that was one day going to change. Inuyasha knew he wouldn't remain a lowly delivery boy forever. One day, he would earn a job somewhere higher, better off on the scale. And _then _see if people won't tip just because he was a hanyou!

He had been taking a small rest, leaning up against the cosmetics shop, hands in the pockets of his brown pants, when his white ears twitched, hearing someone nearby speak. "Do you have the time?"

"Yes, it's nearly two."

"Fuck!" Inuyasha jumped towards his cart, pushing the sleeves of his striped, button up shirt, higher, over his elbows, and grabbing the poles of the rickshaw cart. He was going to be late!

He barred down the street, cursing himself over and over again for not checking the time before taking a rest. He had to get these kimono delivered to the okiya on the other side of Shinbashi right away, or he was going to be in for it! And not just from the crabby geisha mother, either, but she would complain to the kimono maker, and then he would have one less place to deliver to; one less tip to earn a living off of.

Not watching where he was going, he sped down the streets, running at a pace that put the human deliverymen to shame, not even spotting the geisha crossing the street until just moments before he slammed in to the woman, knocking her off her feet.

"Kagome-chan!" the second geisha ran over to her friend, who had fallen over, as Inuyasha realized what had just happened. The woman had fallen on the ground, but after she got over the initial shock, she seemed okay. He had seen men hit by automobiles, so surely being hit by a cart wasn't so bad?

The woman who had ran over to her friend, glared back up at him, anger apparent on her face despite the heavy white makeup. "Damnit, why didn't you watch where you were going?"

This was wasting precious time! "How could I see her? I've got places to be, woman! Why didn't she look across the street before crossing—"

As the two continued to argue, Kagome pushed herself off from the ground, where she had landed in the dirt, running her makeup and kimono. She felt a few aches and bumps, but at least he hadn't killed her. She turned to look back at the man who had hit her, first seeing his scuffed, black boots. Eyes looking upward, she saw his brown, frayed pants, held up by suspenders followed by a grey striped button up shirt, with the sleeves rolled up over his elbows…and finally, his face. She was used to seeing men of youkai heritage, but she had never seen one with dog like ears on his head.

"Sango-chan, calm down," said Kagome as her friend turned back to her. "I'm not hurt; it wasn't as if I was hit by an automobile." She tried getting to her feet. "I just feel a little bit—ah!" she gasped, as she fell back to the ground. Trying to stand on her right ankle sent pain shooting up her leg.

Sango caught her, and glanced at Kagome's leg. Her ankle was already turning red and swelling up. "Now look at her!" Sango began, glaring back to Inuyasha. "Her ankle's swollen! She needs to get to a doctor."

The hanyou shrugged. "Fine, go take her to one, I don't care." He was about to grab the poles of his cart and continue on, but Kagome, who had been calm until this moment, felt her anger lash out.

Grabbing the back of his shirt, she pulled him towards her. "_You _did this to me, you should at least act like a gentleman and take me to a doctor!"

"What?" God damnit! He already was late! "Listen, woman, if you had just looked before you walked across the street, then—!"

"Shut up!" Kagome yelled, her temper even worse than Sango's when she got roused. "You've run me over, and now you just want to leave me? What kind of man are you?"

Growling slightly in annoyance, Inuyasha glared back, "If you haven't noticed—" He pointed to the ears on top of his head. "I'm not a 'man', anyway. Besides, I have work I have to do—"

Before the argument could go any further, Sango cut in, now the calm one. "You do realize if this is serious, Kagome-chan won't be able to walk or dance at all for a while. _This _could ruin her career, something more damaging to her rather than you missing a little bit of your work."

Inuyasha listened to her, but his ears were focused on the noise around them. While they argued, a crowd had gathered in the street, already talking about them. From the words they spoke, it seemed this geisha 'Kagome' was quite well known. He knew some of the people he delivered for followed the Shinbashi geisha life, and if it got out that he had been the one that threatened a well known geisha's career, he might as well say goodbye to his own.

He knew he had no choice now. "Shit, woman, I don't know why I'm doing this," he muttered, bending down and picking Kagome up unceremoniously in his arms like a sack of flour.

"What are you doing?" she demanded as he tossed her in the back of his cart, thrown in the hay next to the piles of crates and packages. Now her kimono and makeup were totally ruined, meaning she'd have to deal with Mother Tsubaki's wrath _and _have to change before entertaining that evening, if she even got to.

"What does it look like? I'm taking you to a doctor!" he glared back, before turning towards Sango. "Where's the closest one?"

"Two blocks," she replied, pointing as Inuyasha picked the cart up by the long wooden poles, hoisting it on its two wheels. "That's the doctor Kagome-chan and I usually go to."

Heading off in that direction, he muttered, "Fine," the ears on his head lowering slightly in irritation. He knew, deep down, it was his fault for hitting that woman, but now, he would miss out on his deliveries for the day _and _have to carry around this stupid geisha until she got herself fixed.

Damn it all, why was he tortured like this today?

* * *

"You're lucky the ankle isn't broken," Dr. Koujion, a man in his thirties who just started a clinic in Shinbashi district three years ago, said, wrapping Kagome's ankle with gauze over the swelling. "You'll be able to walk, if you're careful, but you don't want to be dancing on it for a while." 

Inuyasha, who leaned up against the wall of the small clinic, a lit cigarette in his mouth, felt a little bit at ease hearing the doctor's words. At least he didn't break it.

"But about the dancing," asked Sango, with a worried face. "How long won't Kagome-chan be able to dance? She's going to be performing in the Hanamachi Summer Dances again this year, and—"

Dr. Koujion smiled as he turned his head towards her. "Don't worry about that. She may have to skip a few practices, but it should be healed by then. She'll be back to entertaining with her lovely dance before you know it."

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha gave a small snort. _Geisha, always thinking of money, aren't they?_

However, his snort brought attention back on him, as the doctor turned to look at him. "It was noble of you, bringing her in like this. Not many men would do the same."

For some reason, that praise put the hanyou on edge. Taking the cigarette out of his mouth, he muttered, amber eyes glancing away. "Well…it was kind of my fault in the first place…"

_It is true,_ Kagome thought, glancing back at Inuyasha from where she was seated on the table, watching him as he continued to smoke. _Even though we argued for a moment, he _did _end up bringing me here…I only know of a few people who would do that, over their job…And he does seem to feel a little bit guilty about it, too._

Her thoughts about the strange man who had hurt her and helped her in one day were interrupted when the doctor began calculating up the costs. "That's everything, Kagome-san. I assume this will go on Kouga-san's bill?"

Kagome noticed how Inuyasha's eyes instantly focused on her, widening,as if he was intrigued. For some reason, at that moment having a patron seemed like a shameful thing, despite the fact that it was how every geisha survived. "Yes," she replied, turning away. "It's not like he would refuse."

Inuyasha watched her as she answered the doctor. _So, she has a patron, does she? It doesn't matter to me, but…_A whiff of her scent sparked his interest on the subject. _For some reason, she doesn't seem happy about it…_

* * *

It was nearing the time when geisha had to go begin entertaining when Inuyasha finally took Kagome back to the okiya, unable to wait until he got rid of her. He had spent more time around ill-tempered geisha that day then he would have liked to in a year, and frankly, he just wanted to drop her off and be done with it. Even more so when he spotted the okiya she told him to take her to, and remembered it. _The Tsubaki Okiya…perfect. _He remembered someone else who lived in the Tsubaki okiya…back before he started loathing all geisha when he was a naive fool to their ways. 

While Inuyasha was already grouchy from a day of missed deliveries, Kagome tried to be pleasant as he dropped her off at the front gate. "Even if you _did _run me over…thank you for bringing me back here," she told him as he gently set her down on the ground.

Glancing back at the pile of packages not delivered, he spoke, "Keh, I didn't do it for free, woman. I expect to be paid a bit of compensation for the tips I missed today."

It was a good thing Sango had already gone inside to tell Tsubaki what had happened, as Kagome gaped at him for a moment before replying. "What? After my injury, you expect me to _pay _you for it, too?"

"Shit, woman, I missed out on some good money today for taking you to that stupid doctor! I've got to eat too, damn it!"

"You don't have any right to ask for payment after what happened to me!" she roared back in his face, completely the opposite of the picture of the demure geisha.

"I do too! Unlike you, _geisha wench_, I have to earn my money the hard way, and I need every scrap of sen I can get. And if you think I'm going to leave here without _something _to compensate what I missed today, then you have another thing—"

"Silence!" came the voice of Tsubaki, as she stepped out of the gate of the okiya, with Sango trailing behind her. To Inuyasha, the woman seemed exactly the stereotypical geisha mother—old, commanding, and desperate to make her okiya look good. "What is going on that's causing so much noise?"

Kagome was the first to speak up, "Tsubaki-kaa-san, this man who injured me is demanding compensation for today, when I think—"

Tsubaki cut her off, glancing back at Inuyasha. Her eyes looked him up in a way that seemed to check of every possibility of using him to her advantage. "What is your name, boy?"

_Boy? _He felt slightly offended at that, since he was hundreds of years older than she was. "Takahashi Inuyasha."

Kagome turned back towards him, suddenly realizing she had been with him the whole day without knowing his name. Not that it mattered, of course.

"And you say you deserve compensation for bringing Kagome back to the okiya?" Tsubaki asked, her eyes still calculating the situation.

"Yes," he nodded, deciding it was best to be straight with the facts with this woman. "I missed out on deliveries today, and I have to eat, too, you know."

Kagome rolled her eyes at his pathetic attempt. Tsubaki loved her money, and would keep it in her pocket, she was certain. There was no way he was getting any money out of their okiya, especially not after her injury—

"Kagome," Tsubaki spoke, her decision made. "You will pay him a bit as compensation."

She stared at her geisha mother, hardly believing what she was hearing. "But…Tsubaki-kaa-san—!"

Tsubaki turned back to her, a frown forming on her intimidating face. "Our okiya cannot have a bad reputation, and if word gets out that we did not pay this man after he missed his salary for today, then what will people think of that?"

Inuyasha smirked behind Tsubaki, and Kagome internally cursed his face to oblivion. How was this fair? "But Tsubaki-kaa-san, my money—"

"_Your_ money was given to you from Kouga-san as spending money, so what does it matter?" Tsubaki waved it off as she went back inside. "Go and pay him."

Kagome grumbled, but in the end (still cursing this Takahashi Inuyasha as much as she could) she went up to her room, and took a few bills from her purse; not too much, just enough so that man would shut up and leave their okiya. Limping back down amid the stares of the servants, she made her way back to the gate, to thrust the bills in Inuyasha's grinning face. "There? Are you satisfied you have humiliated me in addition to everything? Now leave!"

"What's this?" he asked, counting the bills. "This is _hardly_ what I earn in a day!"

"That's all you're getting from me!" Kagome snapped, going back to the okiya gate. "Now leave here before I decide to defy Tsubaki-kaa-san and take it back!" Before another word was spoken, Kagome, glaring fully at him, slammed the gate shut, locking him out.

_I hate him,_ she thought bitterly, as she went back inside and limped her way back up the stairs to change for her engagement later in the evening._ Smug because he knows it is unfair! __I can't stand that man, and I hope I never see him again. _

Inuyasha, on the other hand, thrust the bills in to his pocked, picket up his cart, and left, returning to the streets of Shinbashi, knowing he was going to be out finishing his deliveries late in to the night. _I can't stand that woman; such a typical geisha, only worried about her money…_

_Though, _he thought, musing back on the events, _I can't say the day wasn't interesting…_

_I just hope I never have to meet that irritable woman again…_


	4. Window to the Soul

A/N: Late, because I was at an amusement park all weekend. Sorry. D;

Oh, and the Memoirs of a Geisha reference wasn't exactly planned, but after I wrote that scene, I couldn't help it. The character was unconciously too similar in the way she acted not to be a slight reference. (Though, I guess it's not a complete reference considering that nothing like this ever happened in that book...)

Don't you just love Inu when he's in these 1920's clothes? I do!

* * *

**Chapter 4: Window to the Soul**

The clear blue waters of Tokyo bay splashed lightly against the ship, spraying a small mist up in to the air. The afternoon sun shone down on the water, creating gentle ripples of light, leading towards the horizon…so far away. The waters looked so tantalizing, so beautiful and enchanting, that as the geisha leaned up against the hard wooden rail of the ship, she felt that she could keep sailing forever…across the ocean all the way to the lands that lay beyond.

Kagome had hardly seen the ocean before. Living in Tokyo, she knew it was always there, but to actually see it, to feel it like this, it felt like a dream. Now, her life in Shinbashi seemed so confined, so trapped in a small okiya on land when she could be out, to have adventure on the wide seas.

And it was such a beautiful sight, looking out towards the watery horizon. She felt that she could just stay on this little ship and sail on the seas, forever…

"Kagome-chan?" asked Sango, alerting Kagome to her presence. She turned back to her friend, her royal blue kimono flapping in the ocean breeze. "What are you staring at?"

"The view," she sighed, glancing back at the water. "It's beautiful, isn't it? So different from home…"

Unable to share her newfound passion, her geisha sister rolled her eyes. "We aren't here to _look_, Kagome-chan," she reminded her. "Besides, Kouga-san is looking for you."

Her smile instantly fell off her face. Sango was right; she couldn't stare at the view all day. When she had heard that Kouga was having a business party on a boat in Tokyo Bay, she was nervous at first, never having been on the ocean before. But now…this new experience seemed to be more wonderful than she could have imagined. But, like Sango had said, she couldn't enjoy it.

With a regretful sigh, she left her position on the small yacht's rail, walking towards the center of the ship, past the tables set up, with many men already drinking and attended by geisha. Thankfully, she wore a long kimono that was able to hide her slight limp on her still sore ankle. This was a big party for Kouga's automobile company, as another had proposed a merging.

Her patron had secretly told her that merging his prosperous company with one that was falling behind was out of the question, but he should at least entertain the thought with a small party before giving in his refusal. There were at least twenty men on board the ship, representatives from both companies, along with several geisha, including herself and Sango. Some geisha had been brought from other districts in Tokyo, such as the Akasaka district, and some men had brought their own personal geisha all the way from Osaka and even Kyoto.

The ocean breeze played across her white face, gently cooling the back of her neck, exposed by the high bun on her head and her low collar. Again, she felt the pull of the ocean, that wonderful feeling of freeness that it offered…a feeling she was never allowed to have.

As she walked, looking for Kouga, she couldn't help but notice a few eyes upon her—not just from the men, either, but from a few of the geisha, women she was positive she had never seen before. Stares were nothing unusual to a geisha, but to have other women looking at her oddly as well…it made her wonder if they had heard of her before, even if they did not live in the same district.

"Ah, there you are, Kagome!" came a voice she knew far too well from behind.

A fake smile plastered on her face, she turned, to meet her patron with a smile. "Kouga-san!" she spoke, as if delighted to see him. "I was just looking for you!" She noticed that he had two others with him; an important looking man, dressed as he was in a business suit, along with another geisha. Since the geisha stuck close to this man, Kagome assumed she was his geisha, brought here all the way from Kyoto.

Though they were in the same profession, Kagome couldn't help but notice how they were different. The woman (with startling ice blue eyes, Kagome noticed), glanced downward for a moment, after bowing to greet her. While Tokyo geisha would stare a man in the eye, Kyoto geisha were taught to keep their eyes down and appear completely demure, considered perfect behavior of Japanese woman. They would flirt with men as usual, but preferred to be polite, rather than be sassy and of sharp wit like most Tokyo geisha.

For a moment, as the two women stared at each other, an understanding passed between them. Even though Kagome didn't know her name, or what she really was like behind the white mask, she understood that this woman had the same struggles that she herself felt, and knew the torment of her real self being trapped behind a curtain for her entire life.

Kouga introduced her to the man at his side, ignoring the other geisha. "Okueda-san, this is Kagome, the geisha I've told you about; the woman who has given me more happiness than I have ever felt in my life."

"Really?" the other man asked with interest, his black mustache picking up in a smile, while Kagome was glad for her white makeup, which hid her face that was for sure drained of its color.

"You exaggerate, Kouga-san," she spoke, feeling very uncomfortable at his last statement. "I merely do everything you have asked of me." _Oh, how true that is…_she thought a moment afterward, a small bubble of bitterness surging in her mind at the memory.

"And you do it splendidly," Kouga joked, coming over to her side, in a look of pure pride. "You should not be so modest, Kagome. Okueda-san understands, as he has his own geisha to look after." He nodded to the unnamed geisha, who looked down in response. Kagome felt a bit sorry for her, knowing she must be a bit uncomfortable, being already out of her element and now being practically ignored in this conversation.

Okueda abruptly changed the subject. "Yes, but I hear your geisha is a bit famous, Ookami-san. I hear she got her little start of fame singing in the Summer Festival every year. And what is it that they call her? 'The Little Flower of Tokyo'?"

"The title which Kouga-san likes to call me is 'Sakura Blossom of Tokyo', Okueda-san," Kagome corrected him, but realized soon afterward that both names sounded equally silly; she was only used to the latter.

Chuckling, Okueda smiled, "Oh, so that was it. 'Sakura Blossom of Tokyo', hmm? But why call _her _that? It sounds like a name one would give to a maiko who hasn't turned her collar!"

Kagome, more than ever, wished that Sango was at her side at this moment, instead of serving sake to the vice president of Kouga's company. Sango was more at ease around men, and was able to make a witty comment out of a blatant innuendo like this. Thankfully, she didn't blush like a newly debuted maiko, but either way, the other geisha could tell in an instant she was embarrassed. What was even worse; Kouga was laughing as well, unable to save her.

Thinking quickly, she replied, "The name refers to my 'blossoming' career, Okueda-san." She was finally able to look him back in the eye. "It was given to me after the last Summer Dances, when I had the solo song."

"The Shibashi Summer Dances?" Okueda asked, furrowing his mustache in thought. "I hear it is beautiful, but it cannot be more beautiful than the 'Dances of the Old Capitol' in Gion."

"I assure you, it is the loveliest thing you will ever see," Kouga spoke with a smile and, in a bold move, wrapped his arm possessively around Kagome's waist. She was instantly pulled towards his side, nearly tripping over her still tightly wrapped ankle. "Especially with Kagome dancing and singing a solo song once more. But," he spoke with a tragic sigh. "She may not dance at all this year, what with that dreadful accident a week ago—"

"I will be fine, Kouga-san," Kagome cut in sharply, glaring for a moment. He reminded her once again of that accident, in which that rude man had run her over and then demanded payment for it! Just the thought sent anger rushing to her face! It was hard enough keeping her voice from becoming sharp with anger. "The doctor did say it would be healed by the time the dances came, though I may miss a few of the early dance rehearsals."

Okueda smiled, "That's splendid, then. Perhaps I may come up to Tokyo at that time, just to see your beautiful singing."

Kagome couldn't help the smile back at the compliment. "I hope you won't be disappointed, then."

Okueda began to walk away, but his geisha turned, to glance at Kagome for a moment. Though Kagome laughed, and smiled, and looked to all the world that she was happy, this geisha seemed to know her true thoughts, her dark secrets, as her icy eyes penetrated in to her soul. And, from one geisha to another, she gave her a soft, sympathetic look, before turning away, to follow Okueda out.

"An interesting man, isn't he, Kagome?" Kouga asked, watching him leave. "It's too bad he'll be disappointed when he finds out that I'm turning down his proposal."

"Yes," though Kagome didn't think of him, only of the geisha and how she knew so openly that she was lying through her teeth when she spoke to her patron. "Very interesting…"

Kouga shook his head for a moment, his black ponytail blowing in the soft wind of Tokyo bay. "But don't worry about it, Kagome. When he knows how beautiful you can be when you entertain, he'll come back for sure."

"That would be very nice," she lied, once again concealing her true feelings. Kouga spoke of her like a trained puppy, with tricks that could please, instead of a woman with her own passions and thoughts. With him, she was not her own person, just a wind-up doll, an image of a simpering, witless woman who could only do what he commanded of her.

_Once I am the most famous geisha in Shinbashi, it will be better,_ she decided, firm in her conclusion.

* * *

Later that night, Kagome was alone in the okiya, save for Tsubaki, who was taking a nap. Both Sango and Kikyou had other engagements, but since Kouga had apparently gotten seasick on that small outing around Tokyo Bay, her engagement had gotten canceled. 

She didn't care at all; actually, she preferred it this way. Having a night off once in a while was a nice thing, indeed.

And so, she sat, alone in her room surrounded by posters of American singers and movie stars, a soft jazz record playing on her gramophone. The music was so interesting, and different sounding than the music in Japan that she heard every day, that she couldn't help but like it. It wasn't just the music; everything American fascinated her, ever since she heard of the tales of that country, where a woman could be anything she wanted to be, and not have to follow orders. And the silent John Gilbert movies, which often visited movie theaters downtown, made Kagome believe that Americans still held on to this ideal of love, and would marry and plan their lives around it. So different from her culture, which clung on to the old ideals and ways. Many men she was acquaintances with were stuck in arranged marriages, which is why they left their wives at home and frequented districts like Shinbashi.

Being a geisha, she was formed in to a life of old traditions and old ways, when everything American seemed so bright and new. Theirs was a prospering country, now spoken on many lips as it attempted to compete in the world.

Looking in the mirror at herself; long hair down, falling to her waist, she thought about what it would be like if she was in America now, to join the ranks of those rebelling women called 'flappers'. To wear skirts up high, smoking and drinking, laughing and dancing all night long. It certainly seemed more fun then entertaining men whom she did not care in the least about.

She pulled her hair up for a moment, wondering how she would look if her hair was as short as some of those American magazines depicted the recent styles. Not bad, she decided after moment, thinking it would be more comfortable than having it piled up high on her head on a daily basis.

The bell out front of the okiya rang, disrupting Kagome from her thoughts. But she didn't care; the door was for the servants to answer, not herself. Leaning back on her futon, she opened up one of her Japanese magazines and began to read…only to be interrupted by a servant sliding open her door.

"What is it?" she asked, wondering about the nervous look on the servant's face.

"There is a man here," the serving woman began, glancing down the hall as Kagome stood up towards her. "A man who demands to speak to okaa-san. I tried to tell him she was sleeping, but—"

Kagome sighed, entering the hallway. "Don't worry, I'll explain to her." She didn't care about her looks, dressed only in a plain, dark green kimono as she came to answer the door. She expected it to be a visitor, perhaps the doctor, or someone inquiring about Tsubaki's health—but never did she expect it to be the person who was standing in the doorway outside of the okiya.

Kagome couldn't help but gasp as the door was opened. "Takahashi-san?" After a brief moment of staring at him, her dark eyes turned in to a glare. "_What _are you doing here?" she demanded. "Trying to get more money out of me?"

Amber eyes narrowed back at her, as the infuriating delivery boy motioned to his full cart. "I _was _supposed to just drop off an order of cosmetics for the okiya, but there's a problem with the order, and I have to speak with the proprietress of the okiya about this matter."

Folding her arms across her chest, Kagome countered his claim. "You'll have to come back later then; Tsubaki-kaa-san is sleeping."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, brining a lit cigarette to his lips, blowing out a column of smoke. "Come on, surely you can just wake her up."

She responded to his rudeness by replying, "You don't know much about geisha mothers, then. If you want to life a good and prosperous life, then it is wise _never _to wake Tsubaki-kaa-san when she is in the middle of her nap."

"Then what am _I _supposed to do with this?" the hanyou demanded, gesturing to two large crates in the pile of packages. "I can't go back to the store with goods undelivered, you know! Besides, don't you geisha need this stuff, anyway?"

True…Tsubaki had been complaining about where the order of cosmetics had been just yesterday. But Kagome hadn't wanted to see Inuyasha so soon…or at all for that matter. However, if Tsubaki learned that she had turned him away with _her _goods, then she would be in for it later. Unhappy at the conclusion, Kagome realized she had no further alternative. "Come inside, then," she spoke, opening the door wider, "You can wait until Tsubaki-kaa-san is finished with her nap."

At first, Inuyasha gave her a curious glance. Geisha never invited strange men in to their okiya. But, considering that he had no choice, he sighed, removed his shoes, and followed her in. When the door shut behind him, he felt a strange feeling of isolation; being cut off from the regular world when in this place where geisha lived.

Kagome felt a little nervous at first, letting him inside. Men were not supposed to know the secrets of the geisha, and allowing this was allowing him to penetrate in to their hidden world. As for what he saw, there was nothing seemingly unusual about the dining room of the okiya, where she led him, but it was the principal of the thing. Geisha were revered as beautiful artists, the picture of men's fantasies, and to have them know that geisha were merely ordinary women…it might ruin some business that the geisha thrived on.

Inuyasha glanced around only for a moment, but the okiya was just an ordinary building, nothing really extrodinary. The one thing he _did _notice however (with a pang of guilt) was that Kagome was still limping slightly on her right ankle. Though, when he noticed her small, subdued glare as she sat down at the table, he was sure she was doing it on purpose to make him feel guilty.

He sat down across from her, and she noticed he looked away from her at once, no doubt trying to avoid the subject that was going to be brought up eventually. But, alas, he could not ignore the polite question forever. "How's your ankle?" he demanded, letting her hear what she wanted.

"Better," she replied at once, the stiffness in their conversation evident. "But it still hurts to walk on it."

"That's good; then I won't have to cart you all around the hanamachi again, looking for a doctor."

"Certainly not," she countered, her voice as thick with spite as his. "Then I would have to pay you for it again."

After her sharp answer, there was silence between them once more. Inuyasha couldn't help but glance at her, dressed in a plain kimono of dark green, her hair down around her shoulders. It was something that geisha never looked like in public, especially not around men, and yet she didn't seem too phased at all that he was sitting with her in this state of undress. Then again, after their first meeting, he doubted she cared what she looked like around him.

It struck him as odd that even though now was just about the time geisha went out to entertain at parties, here she was, back in the okiya, not looking dressed for entertaining at all. The silence _was _uncomfortable, and Inuyasha attempted to stir up some conversation by asking, "So…what are you doing here all alone? I mean, it's evening, and I know there's three geisha in this okiya…"

She wondered why he would ask something like this, but answered anyway. "My engagement got canceled for the evening." She spoke as if it was something of no importance at all.

This also struck the hanyou as odd. Why wouldn't she care if her engagement got canceled? Geisha always were ready to entertain, to make a little more money for the day. Surely, even if it was canceled, why wouldn't she go out and drop in on other parties to make a little cash, since money was all geisha cared about? "So…you're just going to stay here for the night?"

Why was he curious about such things? And why was she so willing to answer? "Yes," she looked away for a moment, brown eyes turning away from unusual amber. "I entertain and large parties most of my time…I like it if I get a chance to be alone."

Her words did not seem to be the words of a geisha, brought up only to deceive and entice. Her words seemed to be that of a woman barely holding on to life. And in her eyes—Inuyasha only saw them for an instant, but he was able to read them clearly—loneliness…and a longing for something more.

How is it, that a geisha who was around so many people and could have everything she ever wanted, was so lonely?

"It's all right," she spoke, folding her hands in her lap. "The money I earn is my own; so I may earn at a pace that I choose; it's not like I have a family or someone I sent my earnings to."

"You don't have a family?" Inuyasha blurted out unexpectedly, somehow feeling sorry for her at that moment, rather than still angry.

Kagome shook her head, her eyes downcast in memory. "They were all killed in the Tokyo slum fire, ten years ago."

_So, she has no family…no one, besides the women in the okiya…_ "And you?"

"I was already here," she explained. "I was sold to the okiya a year earlier, because my mother believed I could have a better life." Kagome gave a little chuckle after that, as if wondering if what her life was like now was better than it would have been before.

With the things she revealed to him, Inuyasha couldn't help but feel pity for her, and…secretly, a want to help her. He understood the feeling of having no family, no one really to depend on and trust all the secrets of your heart with. He hardly knew her at all, but something about her story struck a chord within him, making him wish there was something he could do for her.

"But, that doesn't matter," Kagome stated abruptly, looking him back in the eye. "That part of my life is over now, as it has been over for some time. Now…I just live life to rise up in my career; that is all."

Inuyasha understood that feeling, and could respect that fully. He too, hoped that one day he would have a better job than just an off hand delivery boy, but until he had some opportunity, he had to live with it. He was about to ask her how she was planning on rising in her career, in attempt to turn this conversation in to something more pleasant, but he was interrupted.

"I believe it's against the okiya rules to have men over for visiting, Kagome," came a shrill voice from the hall. Kagome whipped around in terror, to see Mother Tsubaki standing there, looking positively angry.

Shooting up at once, she quickly stated, "It's nothing of the kind, Tsubaki-kaa-san!" She cast a sideways glance over at Inuyasha as he stood up as well. "Takahashi-san has to speak to you about an order of cosmetics, and I didn't want to interrupt your nap with something so trivial."

The mother of the okiya accepted her answer, and Kagome physically relaxed after the situation was averted. Geisha associating with men outside of business was a grave stain on their reputation indeed, and Tsubaki's rules against associating with men outside of entertaining and business deals were fierce.

"Now, you said there was something wrong with the order, boy?" Tsubaki demanded, rounding her sharp, green eyes on him.

Inuyasha replied something about mispricing and whatnot, but Kagome didn't listen in as she crept back up the stairs, unnoticed, and sat back down in her room, thinking over her small conversation with the man she had previously loathed.

Why was it that she had so easily spoken with him about her job, and her family, when they were things she was taught you absolutely do not discuss? Why was it that she had despised him previously, but the way he had listened to her ramble on about her life was comforting? She expected him to be rude, arrogant, and unpleasant, but their small talk had been almost…nice.

Glancing back at herself in her mirror, she thought,_ I guess, you can't always tell with first impressions..._

* * *

Later on, after all his deliveries were done, Inuyasha decided to spend some of his extra money from tips by going to a small bar near his rented flat. The bar was seated in the heart of Tokyo, a small, dimly lit, smoke filled place that he had visited on off nights for years. 

He ordered a cup of sake at sat at the lonely table, smoking a cigarette between sips of sake, thinking about his day. Now, it had been the second meeting with that geisha, and it was so different from the first. He knew more about her, things he hadn't expected a geisha would admit. That she wanted to be alone, that she had no family, and most importantly, that she was lonely and longing for something more in her life.

Never before had Inuyasha felt so guilty; guilt at something he hadn't even caused. The geisha was obviously high strung and barely able to deal with her life as it was. It seemed like a crazy, stupid idea, but somehow, he wished that he could help her overcome her troubles, and feel better about her hard life.

"Keh," he thought, tossing the butt of the cigarette on the floor and squishing it with his boot. "I'm getting too soft."

He may feel a bit sorry for her, but what would it accomplish? There was nothing he could do anyway.

Besides, it didn't matter. Tokyo, Shinbashi, even, was a large place. Just because he had met her twice already, didn't mean he would see her again.

_And never seeing her again will be for the better, _he decided.


	5. The Greatest Desire

**A/N: **Well, I've had a rotten week, being sick and all. This was sorta a last minute chapter written when I could finally get out of bed and type.

Anyway...I WAS working on ch 4 of Replacement FINALLY, but that's not going to be finished until at least monday, since I am rereading all the Harry Potter books this week in anticipation for book 7. Heck, I'm missing Otakon to go to the midnight party, where I am dressing up as Hermione and totally kicking ass at the Trivia Contest. :3

So, enjoy this chapter, because the next one won't come until I am FINSIHED with DH, which while I HOPE I can finish it on the first night like I did with HBP, I might end up reading it on Saturday, too. Harry Potter freak? Me? Nah. :P

Regretably, there is no Inu in this chapter, but it DOES further the plot along and give some insight in to a few things coming up, so that's good, right?

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Greatest Desire**

Smoke filled the dark air, along with the occasional ring of laughter as the geisha once again set to their task. As long as there was a single party in Shinbashi, there would need to be geisha. And as long as geisha were needed, there would never be rest for the women dedicated to this life until they were dead.

This party was slightly larger, with not just Kouga and his on and off business partner Miroku, but with some of his lackeys, and even a rare occurrence; Takahashi Sesshoumaru as well. During the Meiji Revolution, Sesshoumaru had risen in the ranks of the imperial army, so high that some say he even met Emperor Meiji himself, before he died. Now, with his fortune, he lived a life of seclusion and retirement, hardly ever showing his face in geisha districts such as this unless he was personally invited and could not afford to miss the evening.

Kagome had seen Sesshoumaru a few times before, but each time, the man never changed the un-caring expression on his face. His golden eyes glared at everyone and everything around him, and he kept silent while he sipped his sake, even though everyone else in the room burst out in laughter.

Kagome, Sango, and Kikyou entertained together that evening, as Kouga and Miroku requested to see "the beautiful ladies of the Tsubaki okiya", but someone else, uninvited had joined them as well; the geisha Kagura. She worked on another side of the district, but whenever she heard Sesshoumaru was in town, she would drop in before you could stop her. Not that anyone usually minded; she, like any geisha, knew when to speak and when to hold her tongue. Everyone knew she was in love with Sesshoumaru, though they could not fathom why. Sesshoumaru never seemed to have any interest in her, yet for some reason, she would still show up and entertain him every time anyway. Maybe she was chasing after a dream she could never catch, but Kagome could never judge her for it. Wasn't she, in different aspects, just the same?

"You're quite right, Kouga-san," Miroku spoke, as Sango sat next to him and filled his sake cup. "Our military strength is growing, and will soon be the most powerful in the world; even more powerful than Germany's back during the Great War."

Kouga cut him off, "But Germany is destroyed, and will not rise again. We will be higher than that, now that we have caught up to the west. But unless Emperor Taisho stops these inane treaties and "internal improvements" and starts focusing on our military, we will not grow any further."

Though it was an important matter in politics, it was something geisha, who lived in a separate world from ordinary people, could not speak of because the military had simply nothing to do with the hanamachi at all. Sitting through a debate on the military and criticisms of Emperor Taisho made Kagome feel a little bit sorry for her older sister Kikyou, who had to hear this talk on a daily basis whenever she entertained the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Realizing her sisters were bored, and that a talk on the military wouldn't give the men the ease they had wanted by escaping to Shinbashi, Sango attempted to divert the conversation. "But, gentlemen, isn't there something better than the military in Japan?" she asked, pouring more sake for Kouga as well. "Something that, I'm sure, takes up as much as, or more of your time of thought every day?"

Kouga stared at her, then burst in to a full laugh. "Oh, you vain geisha! Yes, there is something better than the military, and it is right here, in the very heart of Shinbashi. Are you happy now?"

"Immensely," Kagome cut in, helping her sister control the mood. "But now, that you've all eaten and had your business talk, shouldn't we do something a little more fun?"

"Oh, and what do you suggest?" asked a man being served by Kikyou, perking up.

Sango took another full bottle of sake from the tray in the center of the room. "A drinking game, of course! It's one that's very popular in Akasaka, or so I've heard. We each get a cup of sake, and someone will ask us a question. We have to answer truthfully. If someone thinks we lie, then they have to take a drink of the sake. It's a game about trust, you see. But it's all in good fun, since no one can really know if we speak the truth or not."

"I'm in," Miroku said at once. "I remember this game quite well, Sango. How last time we played, you ended up so drunk I had to practically drag you back to my apartment, and—"

Sango didn't hesitate to slap him at once, earning hoots of laughter from several men in the room. They all knew what her patron had been implying, but Kagome knew the truth of it was Sango had slipped some things that left Miroku absolutely convinced that she loved him, deep down in her heart. Though, she would deny it front and back if anyone confronted her about it.

They were all poured a (quite large) cup of sake, except for Sesshoumaru, who refused to participate in any games, and Kagura, who gave some excuse or another. The only reason she did not want to participate was because of Sesshoumaru, and everyone knew it.

Kagome held the cup of sake in her hand, glancing at it for only a moment with a twinge of guilt. She hated when this game was played, but Sango liked it, so she wouldn't ruin her sister's fun. She hated it because she always had to lie, lie about everything. And she did it so convincingly, that the only person who knew the truth was her geisha sister, who would secretly sip the sake behind her back as she lied to the world about her true thoughts. Geisha lived their life by lying, but with each lie, Kagome felt she was digging herself deeper in a hole she could never escape, as time went on.

The game began, and the first one to be asked a question was Sango. Of course, Miroku shot up to ask it at once. "Here is your first question, Sango," he grinned, while she blanched, almost knowing what he would ask. "Who is the love of your life?"

Chuckles were heard around as her face visibly reddened, and she turned away from her charming patron. "No one!" she denied, "Absolutely no one—stop it, Kagome-chan!" she glared, as she spotted Kagome taking a sip of sake with a grin.

The next one up was Kikyou, who was asked by one of the men what would she wish to do if she was not a geisha. She replied she would have liked to be a governess for some rich man's children, down in Osaka. That time, not one person sipped the sake. Everyone knew Kikyou never lied.

It was one of Kouga's business partner's next, who was asked a rather bawdy question from another. They went around the room, asking questions, and a few taking sips of sake, before it came to be Kagome's turn. To get back at her, Sango asked the question. "Okay, Kagome-chan, what is something that you wish for?"

_Something that I wish for? _Kagome could only think of one thing—to be the most famous geisha in all of Shinbashi. But she couldn't possibly admit _that_, especially not with Kouga's expectant eyes upon her. Thinking quickly of something that would please him, she gave a fake smile. "Love," she replied simply, seeing Kouga brighten up.

Every geisha in the room took a discreet sip at that—they all knew love was an illusion, created for men, but did not exist for them.

The questions went around some more, with Kagome taking a few more sips of the strong sake, and starting to feel a little bit tipsy. No matter; being drunk was nothing new to geisha, especially if it took a drinking game to entertain that night. But her laughter was becoming just a little bit louder, and her thoughts weren't as clean cut as they always were. When it came to her turn again, Kouga asked her, "What is something you want to see with your own eyes before you die?"

She didn't have to lie at that one; everyone knew of her obsession. "America," she replied. Some shook their heads and rolled their eyes, knowing of a geisha's chances on even leaving their own district, compared to traveling across the world.

The sake was sweet…almost too sweet that evening as Kagome sipped without thought. She knew she was visibly drunk now, as several of the men were as well, with her eyes just beginning to blur ever so slightly, and her speech slurring a bit. But the feeling made her feel so carefree…able to disconnect for only a moment from the tight-knit world she lived in day after day.

The questions came back to her, and this time, she wasn't as focused upon keeping up with the lie that was her life as she was beforehand. "What is something you want, but can never have?" asked Kikyou, looking as perfect as ever, despite a few sips of sake.

Kagome didn't think like she did on the other questions. She didn't realize what the consequences would be as she glanced down, placing a hand over her belly in a moment of thought. "A child," she answered, truthfully.

There was dead silence after her answer, and it took it a moment to realize what she had done as she met the shocked, horror-filled eyes of her patron. The damage was too late to fix, but seeing the stares of everyone else, her brain snapped back with an attempt at salvaging the situation. "I…I mean a child to look after! Like the little girl a the okiya, Rin-chan…I like watching children grow, not really…"

Some men, after taking a sip of sake, seemed to accept this, but both Kikyou and Sango still held their accusing stares afterward. They, Miroku and Kouga knew what it had meant when she said those words. Kouga wasn't as cheerful as the game continued, and Kagome knew it was her fault. The damage was done, and what could she say to him when they both knew that her words had been nothing but the truth?

* * *

That night, she went to his apartment as always, still feeling horrible for her words at the party that evening. Her patron wasn't so eager in his passions that night, and just sat in his chair, reading the newspaper while she kneeled nearby, knowing it was her fault he was upset.

"Stock is down in Osaka," Kouga huffed, folding the newspaper in his lap. "Those idiots that run my factory must have forgotten what it means to be efficient."

Kagome said nothing. Not that she knew anything to add to this conversation, anyway.

Sighing, her patron leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his ponytail in stress and thought. "I should probably drop by for a surprise inspection to remind them of what it means while I'm on my way back to Kyoto."

His statement caught her by such surprise that she gasped and turned back to him with wide eyes. "_Kyoto?_"

Kouga nodded. "I'm tired of Tokyo right now…I want to go back to that fresh Kyoto air I knew as a boy for a few weeks…and to visit my wife and children."

Kagome remembered him speak of his wife before…another wolf youkai named Ayame that he had married in an arranged match by her grandfather in order to secure the line of wolf youkai. But, since he spent most of his time away from Kyoto in Osaka or in Tokyo, he hardly saw her. Thinking of the neglect the woman must feel, Kagome felt a bit sorry for her, and a bit guilty, since she (unwillingly) took up most of Kouga's time instead.

But he usually only saw his wife and children when he went home for the winter, so for him to suddenly want to go, out of the blue must mean… "This is my fault, isn't it!" she spoke, turning away with her hands folded in her lap, over her deep purple kimono. "After what I said tonight…"

Faster than the blink of an eye, Kouga was at her side, looking in her eyes with all the tenderness of a lover. "No, Kagome. It was something I have wanted to do for a while. Just…your comment made me realize how much I miss my own children, back home."

Kagome could understand that feeling, but all the same…not having him around meant having to work harder for her goal of becoming the most famous geisha in Shinbashi, and there would be talk; if what she had spoken got around, then everyone would say she drove off her patron, or he left because he preferred a witless wife to her.

"I will miss you, Kouga-san," she spoke softly, sounding fully convincing, despite it was not completely true.

"Kagome," he replied, gently and almost enough to make her almost feel his words. "I'll miss you too."

His fingers brushed her cheek, and she knew what was coming as he gently kissed her, turning her towards him. She really didn't want to submit to his desires tonight, but after all the trouble she had caused during the party, she knew she had no choice.

All the while he took his pleasure, she closed her eyes, and waited for it to be over. At least, she thought, one good thing would come of him leaving; she wouldn't be subjected to this humiliation while he was gone.

For a little while, she would be free of all of this, allowed to live her life like she wanted, not at his whim.

And in that moment, she was happier than ever that he was going to be gone from her life for three weeks; three weeks she knew she would cherish forever.

* * *

The train whistle howled in to the sky as Kagome and Kouga stepped out of the taxi at the Tokyo station. Kouga carried with him a small suitcase, and he was dressed in his business suit, along with a brown fedora hat upon his head, shielding him from the blazing afternoon sun. He looked like he was merely going out for a business meeting, not heading home for a full three weeks.

Kagome, on the other hand, had dressed in a lighter, slightly happier color that day, unconsciously thinking about the time she would be free of him, and how three weeks without a patron watching and waiting on her beck and call would surely be happier days than she had in a long while. But, overtop of her emotions, she wore the usual white mask, as she pretended his absence would sadden her deeply.

And so, instead of a smile, she kept her eyes away from both Kouga and the trains as they walked in to the station together, looking down, like an upset woman. Maybe she overdid it, because even regular train passengers seemed to watch her and give her sympathy looks.

Kouga certainly noticed, as she had wanted him to. "Are you truly so sad, Kagome?"

"Yes," she lied at once. "Three weeks without you seems like such a long time, before I see your smiling face again."

His blue eyes met her own as they stopped, nearing the train platform. "I feel the same way, Kagome." The huff of the train engine behind them made him speak a little louder, as he pulled a small box from inside his coat. "Because I'll be gone for so long, I have a gift for you."

The box was plain white, but when Kagome opened it, her eyes widened. It was a beautiful, expensive comb, made of green jade and carved with exotic flowers. She knew it was worth more than she probably made in a year. "Kouga-san…this is…"

He smiled back, taking the comb and placing it gently in her piled hair. "I saw it in the shop, and immediately thought of you. I want to see it on you again, when I return."

"Of course," she replied smoothly. "I will wear it every day, counting down the days until you are back."

The train conductor behind them called for boarding, making both of them glance back at the large train, already spewing smoke, ready for it's journey. In an attempt to be romantic, Kouga took her hand gently and spoke softly, "I love you, Kagome, and I will miss you."

His words did not warm her heart, as they should. Knowing she had no choice, Kagome responded, adding another lie to her list, "And I love you, Kouga-san. I'll wait for your return."

Thankfully, he did not kiss her in front of everyone. But he did kiss her slightly on her forehead, making Kagome wonder in an odd moment why he would have bothered to kiss her heavily made-up face anyway; it wasn't like she could feel it underneath all the layers.

He then turned on his heel, and, without looking back, boarded the train. Kagome stayed until the train steamed out of the station, on it's way to it's destination. She gave a small wave as it left, but then the fake smile slid from her face, and she went back to the taxi without a word.

* * *

The bell in front of the small, dimly lit teahouse rang so softly, that the teahouse mistress barely heard it. "What is it?" she grumbled, answering the door, to see a woman dressed as a geisha standing there, looking apologetic.

"Sorry about this," the woman said, her red eyes rolling. "But a man in the street offered to pay me if I delivered this before I went home to my okiya." She handed over a small, sealed letter to the teahouse mistress, who looked at it curiously. "It's to a man who frequents this teahouse called 'Bankotsu' or something, but I don't know who wanted to send it, so don't ask."

The teahouse mistress turned the letter over, and saw the unmistakable insignia; the character for 'N' on top of the shape of a spider. Her eyes widened at the sight. "I see, I'll give it to him." She shuffled through her purse to hand a few bills to the stunned geisha.

"Wait, what?" she demanded, fire alighting her red eyes, the feather in her hair falling as the teahouse mistress shoved her back in to the street.

"Now get out of here, before someone sees you!" she demanded, shutting the teahouse door in her face.

Staring at the bills, Kagura muttered, "So this is what I get, trying to earn a little extra yen, huh?" She stuffed the bills in to her obi and then left, hoping she would never have to go back there again if she could help it.

Inside the teahouse, the mistress walked in to a large room, where a man with a long braid was surrounded by many "less than quality" geisha. "Bankotsu-san," the woman spoke, handing him the letter. "He has responded."

Taking the letter, Bankotsu opened it. His eyes scanned the first lines, and within a minute, a wide grin appeared. "Good, everything is coming along exactly as he wanted. Soon, all of Japan will be as he wants it, as well."


	6. Freedom

A/N: HOMGDEATHLYHALLOWS!1one!!1!1eleven!!11!

OMGOMGOMG...I LOVED the book...AMAZING...Rowling, you DID it again! So, I went to the midnight party, won second place in the costume contest for my Hermione costume (Well, most of the people there were kids who pulled a witch hat out of the Halloween closet anyway, only a few were people like me who do regular cosplay...). I got the book at midnight, and stayed up all night reading it. Then I spent all of Saturday, and most of today disucssing it in the forums.

So, ye be warned, the coming weeks MAY be a bit fanfiction heavy. Besides Replacement Chapter 4 coming out this week (I FINALLY HAVE IT, BITCHES!) there is a Inuyasha oneshot that deals with his relationship with Sesshoumaru, don't know when I'll get that done. Expect a Ron/Hermione oneshot. (If you read the book, you know what scene I am sure to do it off of ;P). And Perhaps a Snape tribute, too. I am thinking about doing a collection of James and Lily drabbles in the future, but I don't know when they will come out.

I am also doing the annual cleaning out of my fanfiction. Some of my older stuff I am gonna delete pretty soon (None of my Inu stuff) but if you like my really old, really crappy Star Wars/Harry Potter/Pirates of the Caribbean stuff, I suggest you save it to your computer or something. (I am definitely deleting the Pirates of the Caribbean stuff, just to let you know, but the Harry Potter and Star Wars stuff is still in debate).

And a last note I stole the outfit Kagome is wearing from Takiko's (first) main outfit in **Fushigi Yuugi Genbu Kaiden. **Her story takes place in 1923, so it's not that far off, anyway. I needed some street clothes for Kagome, and I thought that they were a good contrast from the usual silk kimono. Plus, I love the floppy bow, too. :D

* * *

**Chapter 6: Freedom **

Kouga was gone, and now that meant Kagome had more freedom than ever before. She was still tied to certain obligations of the geisha profession, such as going to engagements most evenings, but now she would have a night off every once in a while, since there were no parties her patron was hosting.

She was free to spend her afternoons in peace instead of rushing around as usual, sitting calmly in the okiya practicing her shamisen or dancing, preparing for the summer dances. Her ankle was no longer sore, but she knew overdoing it would not be a very wise idea after it had just mended. Tt seemed that the doctor's prediction would be right; once the full rehearsals got underway, her ankle would be well enough to dance upon.

Every year, the dances had a theme, and this year, the theme was the dance of life. Many of the choreographed numbers spoke of how life changed like the wind; dances depicting the ever winding, ever continuing journey down the path of life from its beginning to its very end.

Most of the songs would be a group of maiko or geisha dancing in the background with a solo geisha in the front, accompanied by geisha on instruments. But a few would also include singing. Every year, she had sung a part, and the last time she had spoken to the woman who conducted the geisha orchestra, she had hinted that this year would be no different.

Kagome never considered her voice better than any other woman's, but she had not been taught to sing like the other geisha, who learned the tones in geisha school when they were learning to dance. Her mother taught her to sing, when they used to sing the Sakura song together under the falling petals, and that image stuck fast in her mind whenever she opened her mouth to sing.

In a geisha mind, dancing was as mental as it was visual, and geisha had to imagine and feel the dance within them before the attempted the steps themselves. It was fairly simple to apply the same rules to singing, Kagome had noticed over the years, yet for some reason, when she discussed this theory with others in the small, geisha chorus, only a few agreed with her.

And so, when given the lyrics for a new song, Kagome tried to imagine the words in her head before ever opening her mouth. If a song spoke of loss, she remembered the sadness of being ripped from her family when she was only ten years old. If a song was about joy, then she recalled those happy hours she spent with Sango, laughing and talking and reliving humorous stories of their various parties. The only problem she had was when a song spoke of love…something she had never, truly felt before.

How could she invoke the feeling within her soul when she had never felt it as it was meant to be felt? She said she loved Kouga, and acted several times, like a woman in love around him, but in her heart, love was the farthest from her mind when she was around him. And so, if a song mentioned love, however briefly, she had to pretend. It didn't matter. No geisha loved if they could help it, and so they all had to pretend the same.

The rehearsals had not started yet, but being a geisha who would undoubtedly earn an invitation to at least dance in the background, she already had a rough program of this year's dances in front of her.

Lounging on her futon, Kagome glanced at the list, reading through each of the dances to be preformed under the central theme. She had expected the first one to be performed was the dance of "birth", but no, she should have thought better. For it would be mostly men in the audience, men who were patrons of geisha or those seeking a geisha of their own to support. Therefore, the first dance was "conception". To make it even worse, only maiko who had not turned their collar yet would be performing in this dance, to advertise their status as on the edge of their mizuage.

Of course, the next dance would be "birth", with a solo geisha acting as the part of a mother. Then there was "childhood" next and then another dance, also with a solo, showing how the child grows up to be a young woman.

The rest of the program shows life as it would have been if this girl born in the dances was anyone but a geisha. There was a number for her falling in love, getting married, having a family, living out her life, and finally, death. These dances broke tradition by the theme being something other than a story, but the dances themselves stuck to it by each being after an old tale; conception told of the woman who lay with the god and was destined to carry his child, the story of love told the tale of the maiden who poured her heart out to her lover, who turned out to be the wind in disguise, and betrayed her when he changed direction and left her forever.

It was a perfect blend of tradition and new ideas, just as Shinbashi district clung to old ways while changing with the world, unlike the geisha districts of Kyoto which insisted on everything being as it had been for years.

The dances themselves seemed interesting, but even if she hadn't wanted to participate, it wasn't like she had a choice. Having a solo song would be a perfect advertisement of her abilities, and Mother Tsubaki certainly wouldn't her forgo that.

Knowing that she would have to perform, she wished she would at least be granted the gift of being able to choose which solo she would have, but she doubted that still. Solos were given on factors of skill, beauty, or if the conductor thought a certain geisha meshed with a certain sheet of music. She would have liked to have a solo song in "birth" or the one where the woman born in the beginning raised her own family, reflecting her own desire to have children someday, but the probability of getting those two songs out of the whole was slim. More likely, she'd be stuck singing some bawdy song about a man tricking a maiden to his bed and getting her pregnant that night, and ending up the laughingstock of the festival.

Sighing, Kagome looked away from the program, her eyes lazily catching on an old movie poster for an American silent film featuring Douglas Fairbanks. Compared to adventure movies like _that _the dances were seemed so boring indeed! Something she never understood, was why everything peaceful and beautiful was considered "art" in the geisha world, when she could clearly see that these bright, exciting, new things that came from the west were just as much of an art from.

That thought gave her an idea. An idea that, the more she thought about it, seemed like a very good one. But...it was still morning, and there would be no way she could do _that _while Kikyou, Sango, and especially Tsubaki were still here.

Smiling at the thought of what she would do in a few hours, Kagome instead picked up her shamisen and practiced for a bit, allowing the time to go by. With her newfound freedom, she could now do what she pleased, go where she liked, and not have anyone to serve at the end of the night.

* * *

Kagome's chance came once she heard Tsubaki leave the house when she went to go to the bathhouse. She knew her geisha mother too well, and once she got back from the bathhouse, she would want to take a nap, meaning that after she returned from where she wanted to go today, she wouldn't have to worry about questions from her afterwards. 

She hadn't been since nearly two months ago, when she had left on her own and was assured a way of getting back without anyone noticing. Years of living at the okiya with a tyrannical geisha mother had made her rebellious, and made her a master of sneaking in and out. The easiest way (going through the window and landing neatly on the box piled underneath it) was only used for emergencies, since it was very likely she'd be spotted by another okiya, but she also knew ways to sneak past the servants on her way out the front door as well.

Today, she would be going to a place Mother Tsubaki had told her never to go into unless she was accompanied by Kouga—in to downtown Tokyo. Two years ago, she had discovered there was a cute little shop that sold American imports near Kouga's apartment. She often went there and bought things from the store, but only rarely. Kagome knew her obsession with America was mocked and she didn't like going unless no one she knew personally could know she had been there.

But, to ensure no one would recognize her, she would have to break another one of Tsubaki's rules. Two years ago, Kouga had told her he admired Kagome for her playful spirit, and she knew, if she was able to work him properly, she could have anything she desired. Realizing she needed it, she was able to persuade him to buy this for her; a girl's kimono and hakama.

Compared to the beautiful silk kimono of the Tsubaki okiya, these clothes were nothing more than contraband. But, Kagome could not help but smile as she pulled them from the bottom of her dresser, hidden beneath blankets; they were _hers. _Two years ago, these clothes were in style for girls her age: a plain patterned kimono, with a plain colored hakama overtop. It was wearing both the traditional dress of a woman and a man, something almost as shocking to the Japanese as it was to the Americans seeing their girls wearing dresses up to their knees.

In addition, instead of tabi and zori, they wore long black boots and socks; just a hint of western tradition seeping in. By now, the clothes were just barely in style as western dresses had nearly caught on everywhere in the capitol, but, as Kagome knew she couldn't beg Kouga for a western dress (not now, anyway) this would have to do.

The kimono was a light pink, and had long, flapping sleeves. There was a little decoration at the bottom, but that couldn't be seen as the deep purple hakama was tied above it. The wide hem of the bottom of the hakama made it seem like it was a large skirt, rather than the divided pants that it was. Last to the outfit was the dark socks and boots, that were seen poking out from beneath the hakama hem.

As a last little bit of rebellion, Kagome left her hair down, falling down her back. Geisha _always _kept their hair up when they were in public. The only thing she did to adorn it was to tie a large, floppy bow in the back, a cute addition that would have made Tsubaki scream.

Staring at herself in the mirror, Kagome noted that she didn't even look herself. She could pass for a girl of seventeen, heading off to school, or some sort. The bow really helped to downplay her age, it seemed. _A clever trick I should tell Tsubaki sometime, _she grinned, picking up her purse and stuffing some yen in to it. Normal geisha didn't carry their money with them, preferring to place things on credit and having them delivered to the okiya. But not wanting to take the risk that these goods would be opened by Tsubaki, Kagome had come accustomed to carrying it. Especially since it helped her look less like a geisha and more like a normal woman.

Sneaking out of the okiya was easy. All the servants were working, so it was a matter of peeking over corners and having good timing on when to pass. She didn't think they would care, but she didn't want her geisha mother hearing stories of a floppy bow tied up in her hair hours later, either. She made it out on to the street without incident, and once she blended in to the crowd, who was to say she wasn't the daughter of the mistress of a teahouse, out for a stroll?

The clothes did their trick, as no one had seen her wearing something so odd before. That and the fact that she refused to make eye contact helped so that no geisha recognized her as she walked through Shinbashi district, knowing the roads so she could make it in to downtown Tokyo as quickly as she could. With her face unpainted and her collar high, for these few hours, she didn't feel that she belonged in this place.

At last, she passed out of the geisha district, and in to the heart of Tokyo, where no one looked twice at a girl making her way through the streets. Glancing up at the clear blue sky above, Kagome couldn't help but smile. For now, she was away from Shinbashi, reveling in her small rebellion.

For now, she was not under Tsubaki, or Kouga; she was truly free.

* * *

The handsome delivery boy glared as the man in front of him frowned, looking at the crates Inuyasha had just unloaded. "I believe I am supposed to have three orders of Western dinner sets, not four." 

"You ordered four," Inuyasha argued, pointing at the slip he pulled out from his grey pants pocked. "It says right here, that you ordered four from the shop—"

"But I ordered three! I paid for three!"

Growling, the hanyou fought down the urge to smack the man over the head. "Well, you got four. You got one for free. You should be happy about it, then." He shoved the crates through the man's open door before he could argue. "You can sell the other one to a pawn shop if you like, I don't care. All _I _care about is my tip."

The man who had before been arguing opened his mouth again, as if to continue his previous rant, but instead glared back at the hanyou standing on his doorstep with his arms folded, tapping his foot impatiently. He reached in to his wallet, shoved a few bill in to his hand, and hoped to have shut his door before the hanyou looked at what he had received. He didn't succeed. "What? Only two yen!" But by then, the door was firmly shut and locked.

Grabbing a pole of his cart, Inuyasha lifted it up easily with one hand, dragging it along the street lazily while searching his pockets for a cigarette with the other. "Fucking bastard. I can't even wipe my ass with this…" he grumbled, setting down his cart in the shade of a tall, brick building while pulling out his cigarette lighter.

He stood there smoking in the shade of the building for a while, thinking of several curses and foul thoughts to stew his temper for a while, until he felt like going back and finishing the day's deliveries. Overall, his day had not been well, what with the last incident, and there had been a few mix-ups in the stores, and some snobby humans had flat out refused to give him his tip only a few hours ago.

He usually made enough to live off of, but a week like this, and he might just have to give up smoking in order to keep his flat. That thought did not sit well with him.

Just as he was thinking of other things besides smoking he could give up in order to live in his current status, his eyes glanced a girl walking down the street past him. He normally would have just looked past; women were everywhere, why was one of any importance? But his nose caught her scent soon enough…a scent that he had smelled before…_twice_ even.

It hit his brain like a hammer nailing in a spike. It was her! The geisha! But…she was dressed—though out of fashion in the kimono and hakama when all the teenage girls and young women wore western clothes now—so oddly. There wasn't one spot of makeup upon her face, her hair was down with a large bow had been tied in it, a nice addition that made her look at least two years younger, and she even acted not as a geisha, but just as a normal woman out for a walk.

Amber eyes stared. _What…the…_fuck_…is she doing?_

As though seized by some invisible string, he felt pulled to follow her. Leaving his cart in the shade, (Who in their right mind would steal crates of English textbooks, anyway?) Inuyasha kept a good distance behind, following Kagome until at last, she turned, and entered a small shop on the corner of a street.

Looking up, Inuyasha saw it was a shop of American imports. Odd… He glanced through the window, past the dusty display of English records and smiling American movie stars, to see Kagome glance at the toy models of American cars, pictures of American cities, all with a look of wonder on her face.

Leaning closer, Inuyasha could slightly hear through the glass as a short, balding, obviously not Asian man came from the back room, "Ah, Higurashi-san!"

Kagome smiled and bowed in a greeting. "Smith-san. I'm glad to see the shop is still open."

"With customers like you, how could I not keep it open?" His blue eyes twinkled from beneath his glasses. "Is your mother doing well? And your sisters?"

"They are all well, thank you." Inuyasha could tell as Kagome glanced away for a moment, she had lied. Smith did not know she was a geisha. Seeing as how she had changed her appearance and lied to this man, he very much doubted anyone who had come in contact with her outside of Shinbashi district knew she was a geisha.

"And are they still refusing to listen to your records? Or see the movies, for that matter?"

Kagome nodded. "They are…very traditional. If they can, they like everything they come in contact with to be a hundred percent Japanese…they are very nationalistic like that."

Smith smiled, "Well, you see people like that in my home country as well, I suppose. So tell me, what was it you wanted to see?"

Kagome came closer to the register and spoke softer, so Inuyasha practically had to press his soft ear against the cold glass to hear, making a few passersby stare. "I heard there's a new Helen Kane record out. I know I can't understand most of the words, but if you have it, then I'd like…"

But he shook his head. "True, it's out in America, but I'm sorry, Higurashi-san, but I don't get imports until at least three months later."

"Oh," her face fell. There would be nothing to bring home today that would be from that wonderful country she wanted to visit someday.

In an attempt to cheer her up, he said hastily, "But, if you check the local cinema, there's a new Clara Bow and John Gilbert romance movie that came out a month ago in the States; they just translated the words at the bottom, though I guess it doesn't quite have the effect it does with English, considering that when the words are displayed on the screen, their lips moved in completely different ways, eh?"

Kagome couldn't help but chuckle, "True, but since I don't know what they would have said in English anyway, and with silent film as opposed to plays, does it really matter?"

Inuyasha just stared at her, his mind working furiously to process what he was seeing. So this…this Higurashi Kagome, one of the most famous geisha in the Shinbashi district, not only enjoyed dressing up as a normal woman and pretending she was one, but also liked American culture? The non-traditional ways of America was something that most geisha ran from, being confined to their established, old world ways.

He was wondering the most obvious question: _Why does she like it? _When the bell rung in the shop as the door opened and someone came out. Someone dressed in a hakama over a kimono who saw him in an instant and couldn't help but stare in shock. The way he stared at her was positive proof that he recognized her, so it wasn't like he could fake it at all. She too, had no chance of pretending otherwise when she gasped, "Takahashi-san?"

Their stare lasted at least a minute, until she turned away, blushing, asking, "What are you…? Why are you here? Why did you follow me here?"

"Why did _I _follow you?" he spoke, grabbing the cigarette out of his mouth so he could talk. "Well, what are you wearing _that _for?" he demanded, jabbing the smoking cigarette towards her, indicating the clothes.

She blushed a bright red. "Mind your own business!"

"Fine, then you mind yours!" he muttered, intending just to turn away and leave it, but something unusual stopped him. Kagome wasn't storming away, she was just standing there, in hakama and floppy bow, looking embarrassed, and yet there was still that lonely quality in her eyes all the same.

"I just wanted to get away from the okiya for a while," she spoke softly, her eyes looking downward, almost in shame. "Just to get away, and pretend for a while, that I'm not a geisha; that I'm just an ordinary woman."

Her words touched him slightly, made him feel remorse about ever thinking she was just a normal geisha who just wanted money and that was it. There was definitely more than met the eye with her. People were beginning to stare, so, when she looked back up at him, he gestured her to follow him, back to where his cart was so they could talk.

Once in the shade, he took a puff on his cigarette and asked, "Wouldn't your geisha mother and patron put a stop to that?"

Kagome couldn't help it; she glared at him for that comment. "My patron is gone for three weeks to Osaka to visit his family." She spoke, not caring if she told _him. _"And as for Tsubaki-kaa-san, she will be asleep when I come back, so it doesn't matter."

_Hmm…that 'Kouga' or whatever guy is gone for a while…_He noticed she looked—just a bit—happier since he last saw her. "So, would you care to explain what that was about?" he indicated to the shop that sold American imports.

Kagome shrugged, leaning against his wooden cart. "Ever since I heard of America, I always wanted to visit. It seems like an interesting place, where women don't have to follow a moral code and can trim their skirts up high and dance and sing all night, become famous movie stars, or, at least, be free to make their own choices."

The hanyou didn't get it. "Keh…But, you're free to make your own choices…You came here, didn't you?"

Kagome shook her head, her long hair and floppy bow flapping as she did. "You don't understand. There are things I don't have a choice in. People say the life of a geisha is a life of glamour, but I feel so…trapped. I am forced to have too much regret holding me back before I can get where I want."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at that comment, wondering what she could have meant. But her eyes went wide; that had obviously slipped out. Hastily she changed the subject, glancing at the cigarette he just put back in his mouth. "You shouldn't do that," she said, grabbing it out of his fingers.

"What, hey—!"

"I knew a geisha who smoked all her life, and now she can't get hired for any party because her teeth are so stained and she has ugly wrinkles all over her face from years of it," Kagome spoke matter-of-factly, dropping the cigarette on the ground and crushing it with the heel of her boot.

Glaring at her, Inuyasha pulled another one from the pack in his pocket. "Well, sorry, but I don't have to worry about not being hired for any parties," he muttered, lighting it and taking a long puff on it just to annoy her.

She glared back at him, and, as if suddenly remembering the time, she gasped. "I',m sorry, Takahashi-san, but I have to go-- Tsubaki-kaa-san will be awake if I don't get back there soon!" With that, she walked off stiffly, hurrying back in to the crowd so she wouldn't be late getting back.

Inuyasha watched her go, with a calculating look on his face. Sure, she had been annoying near the end of their talk but…

_She must have been bottling a lot of that up for a long time to admit it all to a near stranger_.


	7. A Happy Thought

A/N: This update is late, because I spent the entire weekend buying a new computer for next year. I got a nice laptop (Even if it is a Windows Vista D;) that I have decided to name Frederick. We name our computers, because since we have 2 desktops and 2 laptops in the family, it makes it much easier when you yell out that one of them is catching on fire or something. / Our computers seem to get every virus known to man, even WITH virus protection. I fear the viruses on this thing, since with Vista, it's slow enough.

Anyway, I did indeed update **Replacement** this week. So far, the world has not ended, but keep your eyes open for fire from the sky or whatever else the signs of the end of the world are supposed to be.

And about the chapter, you meet Ayame in this one. I think she was a neat addition to the anime, but she would never work out in the manga. This chapter explains why.

* * *

**Chapter 7: A Happy Thought**

Kimonos of every color flashed past as geisha scurried through the streets of Shinbashi, always in a hurry this morning. Visitors to this district turned, and glanced by as they saw geisha of all ages gathering at the great, central theater of this district, chatting away as they met friends, all taking, all speculating on the greatest event to grace Shinbashi this year.

The Summer Dance rehearsals had begun. The week before, elder conductors and masters of the art had picked through the parts, trying to assign the right girl to the right one. Now, as the day came, maiko and geisha alike couldn't wait to get to the theater to find out who had gotten a part, and who had been left behind in the dust. Some went back to their okiya with a celebration awaiting them, while others walked home in tears.

For the women of the Tsubaki okiya, it was no surprise to them what they received. Maiko were the ones who fought for parts like rats over a scrap of food—geisha who had been with the school and theater for years had made connections and teachers knew what they had to offer. Each awoke that morning without a doubt they would receive at least a part in the group dancers during the various acts.

For Sango, this was true—she wasn't a wonderful dancer, but she was well enough to make it in to the number of geisha who made up the group who danced in many of the different dances. It was a small part, but it was hard, since she had to memorize more steps than anyone else.

Kikyou got the most glorifying of all parts, as usual; a solo dance. She would play the part of the mother in the dance of birth. Kagome wondered if it was just for her beautiful dancing, or if it was for the motherly way she acted sometimes that she received this part as well. A solo dance was the highest honor a geisha could receive in the summer dances, as dancing was the geisha's most revered art. Many would envy Kikyou for her good fortune, but it was something they could achieve as well, if they took the amount of time to practice.

For Kagome, she received what she had last year, and the year before; a solo song. The years before, she had sung about the seasons, or about the tragedy of death, something she knew she could look deep inside herself and find some way to act out the emotions, and bring a life and depth in to her song. But, this year she was not so lucky.

She had been given a song about love. A maiden's first tragic love. A love that she thought would last forever, but instead ended up breaking her heart. The lyrics itself were so full of words of passion, that Kagome really didn't know what to think. Did love really feel so powerful? So…happy? The one who wrote it seemed to think so, but she thought just the opposite. Most of Shinbashi thought the same as well, as all geisha were taught that love simply did not exist. How was she to sing about it then, if it was something that was simply nonexistent?

Of course, the summer dances were all a show just for the patrons and future patrons of geisha, as she had to remember. _They _would want a song about love, believing that they themselves were experiencing it, even if the geisha whom they paid for were just leading them on…

Kagome sighed and set down the sheet of music, looking away quickly. That thought caused her to think of Kouga, whom had believed she was in love with him, when she had lied the entire time he had been her patron. Even though it was in geisha nature to be cold, and not care at all about the emotions of their patrons when that was where their monthly payment came from, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him at his naivety.

Kouga had simply wished himself to be loved by her, and refused to see otherwise, despite the fact that she had, as far as she had seen, _hardly _acted like a woman in love around him. The jade comb he had given her was still perched high upon the pile of hair upon her head, but she did not treasure it, as she said she would. She wore it in public, in case Kouga wrote to anyone and asked about her and if she was wearing his comb every day. But she was certainly not clutching to it at night and sobbing, like he was probably expecting her to do…

Looking back at the music, Kagome glanced at some of the words. The maiden first spoke of how her lover, had stolen her heart away, and she would never get it back, though she never wanted to. It sounded so ridiculous that she cringed at the very thought. As the music went on, the maiden lamented, because she found out her lover was the wind, and then cried because he betrayed her when he changed direction and left her forever. _Hmm, _Kagome rolled her eyes, _If she was a Shinbashi girl, we'd tell her to shut her mouth and get back to work before her mother found out. _

In fact, all it seemed like throughout this song was that the maiden was either reciting very bad love poetry to her lover who was probably covering his ears, or whining about how sad she was after he left her, most likely because he couldn't stand it anymore. Why anyone in their right mind would want to listen to this song, Kagome did not know. But she did know that when she would eventually sing it (Tsubaki would make sure she had no choice in the matter) she would probably be bright red from embarrassment at singing such a horrid song.

Hearing a number of shamisen begin to play made her turn away from the music, and look back up at the stage. Sango, along with a number of other geisha she barely recognized, were enacting of the dance of family. Kagome put the song from her mind, and watched her friend with a smile on her face, glad to see that Sango was a much better dancer than some of the other geisha next to her. One even tripped over her own kimono hem and nearly knocked another over, causing Kagome to burst out laughing.

Kikyou's solo was to perform next. Kagome was supposed to dance in the crowd of that one, and along with Sango in a few of the others, but she was excused until her ankle was better, so she hung alone, in the back of the theater with a few others, waiting until rehearsals were finished to go to the bath house with Sango that evening.

As the music died down, Kagome could hear some of the conversation taking place around her. She wasn't really paying attention, until one voice in particular caught her interest over the crowd. "Look, I don't give a damn what you say about packaging, I got your supplies here on time, didn't I?"

Her breath caught in her chest. No, not here, surely not here…She turned, and there was no mistaking it—Takahashi Inuyasha was standing there, arguing with the theater manager. "Look, just give me the tip and let me leave, already!" he yelled, his voice causing even some of the geisha dancers to stare in interest.

Kagome turned away quickly, heart pounding in fear. What was _he _doing here? How could he be making deliveries for the same theater that she was to perform in? Another, more frightening thought came upon her. What if he recognized her? What if he called to her? What if…what if he mentioned that little escapade she had a few days ago in front of all these geisha? Her reputation would be ruined!

There was only one thing to do, and she knew it. Just as the manager handed Inuyasha his tip, which sounded minimal by his angry growl, she glanced back at the dancers on stage. None were paying her any attention. She turned, and heading as if she was going to the toilet, she slipped out the entrance, a few seconds after Inuyasha had left.

She walked past a few geisha resting outdoors, but so many were talking about the dances that they didn't pay her any attention. Kagome followed Inuyasha just as he came on to the street, and, though it pained her to do so, she called out to him just as he made it to his cart, "Takahashi-san!"

He turned back to her, glaring, "Look lady, I don't have time for any—" He stopped abruptly as he recognized her. "Oh…"

"Yes, 'Oh' is right." Kagome replied matter-of-factly, folding her arms in her kimono. "I didn't expect to meet you here today, Takahashi-san."

He raised an eyebrow at her abrupt tone. Kagome couldn't help but notice that he looked a bit nicer today—wearing an olive green vest overtop of his lined shirt, though the sleeves were still rolled up past his elbows to reveal strong arms. "I find it odd that anywhere I go in Tokyo, you seem to be always be there. Do you geisha have a thing about following people?"

"Funny, I was about to ask the same thing about you," Kagome glared back. "I was going to ask why, of all places, you were doing deliveries for the theater I was doing rehearsals for the summer dances at."

Amber eyes rolled over the tall, brick and wood building. "So, _this _is the famous theater, huh? I was wondering why so many girls who had wasted their lives dancing like puppets were out in front of it."

"Knock it off, will you?" demanded Kagome, jabbing a finger in his direction. "If you don't like the way I live my life, then why do you bother to stand here and talk to me at all?"

There was silence for a moment, before Inuyasha shrugged. "I don't know. You're the one that came to talk to me, after all."

"About that," Kagome began, turning to lean against his delivery cart. "I just wanted to tell you that if you're going to be making deliveries here often then…I would ask that you would please not mention that you met me in Tokyo…that one time."

He stared at her. "Why would I mention that? I'm not stupid, you know. I know you have an image you have to keep up." There was another pause, and then he turned his back to her, as if looking in to the back of his cart, searching for something. "Besides, for the sake of your 'reputation', shouldn't you go back inside and not be seen talking to a lowly delivery boy anyway?"

"No one's going to see us," her voice was softer, having been truly touched by the words he said. "And even if _they _do," she pointed towards the crowd of small geisha. "They don't care. It's the people like Tsubaki-kaa-san that really care, and…" she couldn't help it; she blushed slightly. "It's nice, talking with you…I mean, instead of the people I normally talk with."

Inuyasha popped his head up from where he had been looking faster than he thought possible, staring with wide, golden eyes, hardly able to comprehend what he had heard her say as well. "So…if I'm going to be doing more deliveries for this theater, then maybe…"

"We'll be seeing more of each other?" Kagome finished, turning back, not quite sure what to expect.

"Yeah…" the hanyou finished, looking genuinely happier than before.

"Takahashi-san—"

"Wait," he cut her off. "If…if we're going to, you know…see each other more often, then maybe you should start calling me Inuyasha."

Kagome nodded. "Okay, Inuyasha-san, but only if you call me 'Kagome'."

"Fine…Kagome."

There was another pause. Kagome knew very well what it meant…only men such as Kouga had the privilege to call her by her first name. Even though she knew it was out of the ordinary, she tried to make it not seem so as she spoke, "Well…now that we have that…I have to get back to rehearsals, Inuyasha-san. I guess I'll see you…sometime."

"Right," he spoke rigidly, though she thought she could spot a smile on his face. "But…you aren't _very_ busy, are you?"

"Oh please," she joked, as she headed back towards the theater. "It's the dance rehearsals for the Shinbashi Summer Dances! I don't have time for fun!"

But even as she walked back, she smiled to herself. Perhaps, in Inuyasha-san, though the first time they had meet had been awkward, she had found a friendship.

* * *

"Kagome-chan, what's going on?" accused Sango, later that day when they were at the bath house after rehearsals, drying their hair. 

"I don't know what you mean, Sango-chan."

"You do too! You've had a grin on your face ever since rehearsal ended. What are you smiling about?"

Thinking of Inuyasha, and how perhaps she might see him again and talk a little more, her smile widened. "A happy thought."

* * *

_Kyoto_

The car slowed to a stop in the drive in front of the large house on the lane, overlooking the lake. The door was opened, and out stepped Kouga with his small suitcase, smiling as he looked upon the house, his home. _I'm back, _he told himself with a smile. Even leaving Kagome, beautiful Kagome behind for a week was worth it to come back to beautiful Kyoto every once in a while.

He opened the large gate in front of his home, and walked along the dirt path, hoping to surprise everyone with his visit, but it was no use; two people saw him coming. Just as he was mere yards from the door, it burst open, and two figures came running out. "Papa!" they cried.

Kouga laughed as his children ran to him; a boy and a girl, one with his own black hair, and another with flaming red. Now he knew why he missed Kyoto so much. "Akira! Shigi!" he laughed, picking kneeling down to hug them both. "Have you been good children for your mother and the servants?"

"Uh-huh!" they both nodded. "We were good!"

As he was laughing with the children, he saw someone else standing in the doorway. Under the impression that his return would be well-received, he smiled, "Ayame!" and ran towards his wife. But Ayame did not smile back as she said, "Welcome home, Kouga."

Once everything had been settled with his return, Ayame and Kouga were sitting in the study, as Kouga told her the tales of Tokyo. "It's really very dirty there Ayame, you wouldn't like it. Not like this place…every inch of grass is instantly covered up by a building. It's very sad."

"I'm sure," she said coldly, though he did not pick up on it. "By the way, Kouga, one of your colleagues from Tokyo called earlier, wondering if you had arrived."

His smile faded. "I see, so _that's _why you weren't surprised to see me."

She didn't answer his question. "Anyway, you might want to read the message he left. Sara was out with the children, so I had to take it." She handed him a piece of paper, which he read at once.

While he read it, she pretended to fumble with the sleeves of her plain, purple kimono. However, her acid green eyes were on him, watching intently.

Once he had finished, Kouga sighed, shaking his head. "The factory in Tokyo's having trouble again…can't those people do anything at all unless I'm there watching over their heads all the time? I may have to go back sooner than I planned, even if the city of Tokyo is—"

"Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo, that's all I hear from you anymore!" Ayame growled in frustration. "You just got home, and now all you want to do is talk about a city I've never even seen! If you love Tokyo and all its _amusements _so much, why don't you just go back?"

Kouga blinked. "I don't know what you mean, Ayame."

"You know perfectly _well _what I mean!"

"No, I don't—"

"Then explain _this_!" his wife shouted, shoving another piece of paper she pulled from her obi in to his face. It took Kouga a few seconds to fully understand what he was reading. It was a bill…for a doctor's visit in Shinbashi District…for Higurashi Kagome of the Tsubaki Okiya.

"Though _you _pay the bills back in Tokyo, they always send the paperwork back to the house for recordkeeping, or didn't you know that?" the female wolf youkai asked, her green eyes glaring daggers in his direction.

Sighing, Kouga turned away from her. He hadn't meant for her to find out. It would have been better if this had never been brought up. "Ayame…"

"Don't try to explain, Kouga, you'll only end up lying," she muttered, walking over towards the window, to look out upon the lawn, where the children were playing with their governess. "I know you never loved me. I know this marriage was only made because grandfather was insisting we unite the last wolf youkai clans in Japan. I knew it was only a matter of time before you started looking for love somewhere else."

"You don't understand—"

"I do," she turned back, the coldness in her eyes making him be silenced. "But I don't understand why you had to lie about it. Nasuda-chan's knew about her husband's geisha mistress from the day the deal was signed. Did you think I was a fool, Kouga? That I was too stupid to figure out that your 'business trips' to Tokyo weren't just for business?"

Kouga stood up abruptly, walking over to her, "Ayame, please, listen to me—"

She turned away sharply. "No. You've hurt me, Kouga. I don't want to talk to you right now." With that, she left the study abruptly, leaving Kouga behind, feeling guiltier than ever.

* * *

Ayame walked by the small lake they had behind the house, kneeling down and looking in to it to think. It didn't hurt her that Kouga didn't love her. She had known that for years. What hurt her the most was that she did all she could to love him and try and please him, and instead of trying to save what little marriage they had, he just abandoned her to go take up with another woman. 

_And then he lied about it. _True, the scar wouldn't have been so deep if he hadn't tried to cover up his misdoings, but perhaps it was for the better. After all, if he had indeed successfully hidden his affair, would she be so upset right now.

But Ayame knew she couldn't stay angry at him for long. She was his wife; expected to be obedient and loving. And there were the children to think of. Sighing, she thought, _Kouga, why is it that I do everything for you, yet you never do anything for me in return?_

* * *

Kouga glanced out the window, and watched his young wife sit by the pond, staring deep in to the river, no doubt trying to cool her temper. Her temper had always been sharp like that, as long as he could remember. It wasn't that he didn't care about Ayame, but he had known her for years; they had been promised to wed when they were both children. She was like a childhood friend to him more than someone he could love. 

But now, he had been in the wrong. And it had hurt her more than anything else. Sighing, Kouga's eyes met the black and white photograph of himself, Ayame, and the two children, taken two years ago when they vacationed in Okinawa.

_Maybe I should stay here for longer, _he thought sadly, _To see if I can try to fix this mess. _


	8. A Gift of Friendship

**A/N: **Nothing much to say, except for a historical note. The first radio network in Japan was set up in 1925, in Tokyo, however, I don't exactly know when in 1925, just 1925. So, I'm hoping this is somewhat accurate. I like this chapter, cuz its got a little history, got a little fluff. :3

And we all know fluff is good, right?

* * *

**Chapter 8: A Gift of Friendship**

The music of the shamisen echoed through the small room, as Kagome sat in a corner, playing a song she had known since childhood. Her eyes were closed, as she could feel the music within her, remembering exactly where her fingers were to go at the right moments. She was no expert with the instrument, but when it came to this song, the song her mother would sing to her when she was young, she knew it perfectly.

But, she heard the bell in front of the okiya ring, breaking her concentration. Her eyes opened, and she sighed a moment in frustration, putting the shamisen gently aside. The bell had reminded her of what she was _supposed _to be doing—memorizing the words of the song she would be singing at the Summer Dances. On the whole, it was more important.

But, she still didn't like the lyrics very much, and she disliked the dance she was to accompany even worse. The geisha playing the part acted like a simpering idiot, with much dramatization of wailing and waving her hands. She didn't think she knew any woman who would weep like an idiot in such a manner, especially not in front of a man they supposedly loved.

Rolling her eyes, she reminded herself, _But it's not my place to criticize…none of what I say will matter anyway; they dance will go on as planned, silly as it is._

Kagome glanced out the window to look upon the view of Shinbashi that was given to her by her window, in hopes of some inspiration on how to make this eventual performance bearable. But it was not the vastness of Shinbashi that caught her eye. The person standing in front of her okiya, who she supposed was the one that rang the bell, was dressed in an unusual fashion; a fedora and full coat, even though it was a warm, sunny day.

The visitor appeared to bring nothing more than a telegram, but Kagome couldn't help notice that he slipped something from under his coat to the servant at the door. She was curious, but she couldn't help but wonder if it was one of Tsubaki's dealings—geisha mothers weren't known for their honesty.

The servant bowed, and the man left with nothing more. Kagome wanted to see who it was, but he was too far away. But she couldn't help but notice there was something familiar about him; in the way that he walked, and had acted, and…her heart pounded for a moment wondering…could it have been—?

Her answer was found a few minutes later when her door slid open, a servant holding a small package in her arms. "I'm sorry to bother you, Kagome-san, but…this came at the door for you."

_A package?_Curious, she took the parcel, glancing at the brown paper it was wrapped in. It did not bear any marking, or hit to who would have sent it. It was square, and felt hard, and even though she had no idea what it was, there was a more pressing question on her mind…who would send her this? The only persom she could think of was Kouga, yet she still dared to hope…

She tore open the paper without another thought, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw what it was. It was the Helen Kane record she had wanted, the one she had asked for in the shop of American imports, the day Inuyasha was there. It most certainly wasn't a formal delivery, she had never paid for it…

Heart pounding, she pulled a note out from inside the cover of the record. It contained of seven words;

_Perhaps there is still time for fun.__—I._

_Inuyasha__…_ She had never thought he would be this kind, to send her the very thing she had wanted, but…could he afford this? He said himself he was low on cash…how could he think to get her this as a gift unless…

"Kagome-chan?" Sango asked, peeking her head into the room. Kagome barely had time to stuff the note underneath a fold in her kimono behind her back, before her geisha sister saw the record. "What is that?"

"It's a gift," replied Kagome at once. "I just got it delivered."

She handed the record to Sango so she could take a look. "It's an interesting gift," she spoke, trying not to offend Kagome. But it was all right; Kagome knew her friend did not appreciate these things as much as she did. "But who sent it to you?"

Kagome didn't even think otherwise as she spoke, "I don't know."

"It didn't come with a note?"

"No," she lied firmly. It wasn't to keep this secret to herself, but if Mother Tsubaki ever found out she had received a gift from a man who was not her patron; it was almost like sleeping with the man himself. But…Sango knew her so well…what if she guessed?

Her worries were over, for the moment, as Sango gasped, "It must have been from Kouga-san! He must have known you would have liked it, and decided to cheer you up after you were separated."

Sango didn't know that Kouga hardly gave a damn about her obsession with America. She also didn't know that Kagome hardly spoke to him about it, and most certainly would have never mentioned her American music preferences. "Yes, he must have."

Kagome was able to avert the conversation quickly, by putting the record on her gramophone and listening to it. Though she did not understand the words, she knew Helen Kane sung of love and its woes, and the feeling through the words was enough to convey the meaning. When Sango was fully out of the room, she tucked the note in to the record case, hidden neatly behind the stiff paper.

Smiling, she thought, _Inuyasha__ was kind enough to get me a gift to try to cheer me up, but…if I do not want this to turn into a scandal, I'll have to get him something too._

* * *

"Kagome-chan, why are we doing this again?" Sango asked her, as she and Kagome hurried through Shinbashi district the next day, passing geisha and patron alike. 

"I told you, Sango-chan," Kagome repeated firmly. "I must get a gift of thanks for a mistress of a teahouse, that I know well." She thought the 'mistress of a teahouse' was a fine ruse on her part, since Shinbashi District had many teahouses, and Sango certainly couldn't prove her story wrong. Besides, a woman giving a gift to another woman did no harm, at least, not in this district. It was the perfect cover story, or at least, it would have been, if Sango didn't keep asking so many questions.

"Yes, but why must we go _today?_"

Kagome gave a small sigh, frantically thinking of an excuse as they crossed the street together. "She gave me some assistance a few days ago, when I ended up drunk at a party. I have to thank her for her troubles and her kindness." Sango would never know that 'a few days ago, she hadn't gone to any parties at all, so there was no one to contradict her story.

"But what's this mistress like, what are you thinking of getting her?"

Sango couldn't see Kagome clenching the sleeves of her light green kimono in annoyance. "The mistress is…kind, but she can be rude, and brash sometimes." _If there really _were _such a mistress, she'd never get any customers,_ Kagome thought, mentally cursing herself for her horrible story-making skills. "She…walks often around Shinbashi, yet she doesn't talk to many people. She doesn't have much, but she does…" _What _does _he like? _Shrugging, she finished, "She smokes."

Sighing, Sango pulled Kagome over towards the end of the street, heading towards the curio shops in Shinbashi. "Well, if that's all you know, perhaps you should get her a nice lighter."

"Yeah…" _A lighter…would he like that? He already has one, but a _nice _one…_

Most of the shops that sold lighters sold the ones that a patron might buy for another business partner—nice looking but frightfully expensive. While the silver ones did look beautiful, Kagome doubted whether Inuyasha would actually use it; he didn't seem to be the type to flaunt any small trinket.

After visiting a few shops, and finding nothing simple, or in her price range, Kagome finally had to admit that a lighter was not something she could get him; not here in Shinbashi anyway. When she relayed this to Sango, her geisha sister shrugged, and asked, "I know that mistresses of a teahouse always like gifts of packets of tea—"

"No, she wouldn't like packets of tea!" Kagome sighed in frustration, turning away from another shop display that had nothing to her liking. "Honestly, Sango-chan, I'm trying to get her a gift, but it's hard at the moment! Besides, I really don't know much about him at all!"

Kagome's slip of the tongue made her sister stop walking for a moment, and raise an eyebrow. "_Him?_"

Realizing her mistake, Kagome corrected it, "I meant _her_. Of course I meant her." Sango was about to believe her, when she noticed Kagome's fingers fidgeting slightly with the sleeve of her kimono—Fidgeting was something Kagome only did when she was in a tight spot.

"Let's go back to the okiya, Sango." Kagome spoke at once, setting off down the street, praying her slip of the tongue would be forgotten.

"Are you sure, Kagome-chan?" Sango followed, getting more suspicious than ever. "I mean, there's other things, we can still look—"

Kagome shook her head. _Let it go, Sango-__chan_"No…I'm feeling tired…and I need to practice my shamisen before the engagement tonight. I really have to get back…I can go looking another time."

Sango's eyes narrowed, wondering seriously if her sister was being truthful or not. "Fine."

* * *

"I think she was lying when she said it," Sango relayed to Miroku, that night as she sat in his apartment. "I mean, I don't want to automatically assume, but…Kagome-chan did act as if she was worried about something ever since she let 'him' slip." 

Miroku shrugged. After business hours, he sat next to Sango, wearing nothing but his dress shirt and pants, his tie hanging loosely. "If she was getting a present for a man, what does it matter?"

The expression on Sango's face was as shocked as if he had revealed the mysteries of the universe. "Don't you know anything about geisha, Houshi-san? No geisha is to give gifts to men, or be in contact with any men outside of engagements! Friendships aren't even allowed, especially not of the woman has a patron already."

But he could not understand. "It was just a gift, Sango."

Sango shook her head. "No, it's not. Before she went to give the gift, she received one, at the okiya. She didn't want to talk of it much, and kept insisting that she didn't who sent it, though she agreed it might have been Kouga-san. And now, after Kouga-san has left, she seems happier than before, and I heard she was seen talking to a man during the rehearsals of the Summer Dances." Taking a breath to steady herself, Sango said the fateful words, "I think she might be falling for someone."

"If she is, it shouldn't be any of your concern, Sango," Miroku pointed out. "Doesn't every woman have a right to fall in love?"

"Geisha are different," she corrected him; "We do not have that freedom."

Grinning slightly, Miroku leaned closer to her, glad to see that she still stiffened when he got nearby. "Yes, _geisha _maybe, but what about you, Sango?"

Conscious to the fact that she was blushing, she turned away sharply, fisting her hands in her yellow kimono so he wouldn't see her fingers tremble. "That doesn't matter; you are my patron, I am supposed to think of you fondly."

Miroku's hand cupped her cheek, turning her fully red face to look back at his. "How fondly?"

After a brief moment's pause, she brushed him away, shaking her head. "That…that doesn't matter! We are speaking of Kagome-chan, not of me!"

Still, Miroku couldn't help but grin, knowing she was only lying to herself at this point. But, more attempts at wooing were cut short as a servant slid open the door to the living room. "Begging your pardon, Houshi-san, but there is a delivery at the door."

Miroku got up instantly, grinning, having a feeling he knew what it was. Out in the hallway, his suspicions were met. "Ah, Takahashi-san, you're here late!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Damn Tokyo drivers. I thought I was going to be run over by the end of the night. This is why I like delivering in Shinbashi District—no automobiles."

Sango peeked out in to the hallway, and gasped when she recognized Inuyasha. "It's him!"

Both men turned to her. "Oh, you mean Takahashi-san?" Miroku asked. "He does most of the important deliveries for the factory—can't put prototype goods with automobiles, and some places that need important deliveries don't have access for them yet."

"I see…" she vaguely wondered if she had ever told her patron about Kagome 'accident', but decided to drop it. "But what's he doing here?"

Miroku didn't answer, but knew the surprise would be more fun. "Do you have it, Takahashi-san?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied, "But it's damn heavy. What have you got me delivering to your apartment this time, Houshi? A fucking cannon?"

Grinning, Miroku answered, "You'll see. Just bring it in, good man."

Inuyasha left, muttering about how 'fucking insane' his employer must be, while Miroku went back to stand near Sango, sliding the door to the living room open a bit wider. "Houshi-san, what on earth have you got him bringing in?"

"Just a little something I've been working on with a few other company owners from Osaka." He looked hardly able to contain himself with glee. "But be rest assured, Sango, it's something this country needs if we ever want to catch up to the West."

Only a minute later came the sound of Inuyasha pushing something from the hall. A large crate was pushed in to the center of the living room, the crate itself nearly four feet tall, and at least two feet wide. The only thing Sango could imagine inside that box was a small cabinet, but no factory owner would work on that.

"Right there will do for now, until we get this box open," Miroku told Inuyasha. "Do you have a crowbar, or—"

"Keh," Inuyasha grinned, lifting his sharp claws. "Don't need a fucking crowbar." It was true; after a single slice, one side of the crate came off completely, leaving room for its contents to be pulled out the side.

Sango couldn't quite describe it as it entered sight. It looked to her like a large cabinet, but there were many dials upon it, along with a large, flat face covered with a thin, fabric-like skin. By the way Inuyasha was staring, he clearly didn't know what he was looking at either. Though, he was the first to ask. "So, what the hell is it?"

"What you see here," Miroku grinned, walking up to it, and gently turning one of the silver dials. "Is one of the first radios to enter Japan. My factory has already begun working on these, and even as we speak, there is a Tokyo radio network being set up. By the end of the year, nearly every family in Japan will have one of these in their living room."

Sango gasped, "You mean, like what they have in America, that Kagome-chan keeps telling me about? Where you can hear voices and listen to music broadcast all the time?"

Her patron nodded. "It should be fully functional by the end of the summer; my company helped pay for it."

_A radio network, here in Tokyo, _Inuyasha thought, staring at the radio, unable to keep from a small smile. "Kagome will love that," he muttered, unheard by the other two.

Thinking of Kagome made him remember that gift he had delivered to her okiya just the other day. He told the servant girl to give it to her, but had she gotten it? If she did, did she like it? She should have; she had gone to that shop asking for it, but…

"Well, I hope you enjoy that thing more than I did," Inuyasha said, turning to leave.

"You're going already, Takahashi-san?" Miroku asked. "You don't want to stay and see if it works?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "I got to be getting back—I owe Toutousai some rent anyway." He shrugged in a parting greeting and left the apartment, heading back out on to the street next to his cart. Miroku was one of the richest men in Tokyo, and even though he valued Inuyasha for his haste in delivering things, he didn't belong there. It had paid to know that Kagome's friend was his geisha mistress, but that was it.

Besides, Toutousai wasn't _really _the reason he wanted to leave before it became too late…he was hoping he could walk past the Tsubaki okiya and see if he heard any Helen Kane music playing from the window by the door…

Back inside, Sango glanced at the radio in wonder, gently turning one of the knobs. She nearly jumped when she heard a loud, static noise echo throughout the room, along with some faint words.

"What is it?" she gasped, knowing the words spoken were definitely not Japanese.

"Soviet broadcast," Miroku muttered, switching off the radio. "That's probably all we can pick up until the network is in place. But even so, this is a big leap for our country. Watch Sango; the face of Japan is changing."

"Yes," she spoke, her thoughts upon Kagome and her recent behavior. "Things are changing."

* * *

It had been three days since Inuyasha sent her the record, and Kagome still had not seen him. She had looked all over Shinbashi, trying to find him, but at last, sighed, and figured she would have to do as usual; wait. She never met Inuyasha when she looked, their meetings were always by chance, or fate. 

And as fate would have it, she spotted him on the way to an early engagement one afternoon. "Inuyasha-san!" she called, as she ran towards him, making him look up from his cart.

"Kagome? What—" He didn't finish, as she pulled him down a nearby alleyway, so they would not be spotted by passerby.

"Sorry," she said, glancing away, grateful for the white makeup she wore at the moment, as it covered her blush. "But I just wanted to thank you for the gift, Inuyasha-san."

Feeling a little bit embarrassed himself, the hanyou rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. "Well…it was no big deal, you know? It wasn't cheap, but I got a large tip from some kitsune youkai living uptown—"

"But still," she finally looked back up at him. "That was…very kind of you, Inuyasha-san. And I thank you for it."

He paused. Hardly anyone had thanked him before, especially for something like this. "Well…"

"The only problem is," Kagome continued, "I want to thank you for your gift with a gift of my own, but I don't know what to get you."

Amber eyes widened. "Wait, you don't have to get me anything!"

"Yes I do!" she stubbornly protested. "I can't remain in your debt like this, Inuyasha-san!" _You don't know how scandalous that is if people find out! _

Sighing, the hanyou spoke, "Fine, if you don't want to remain in my debt any longer, then I ask you if you would call me by my true name. No '-san' or anything, got it?"

She gulped. She even added the honorific for Kouga's name! "Why?"

"Well…because!" Inuyasha turned away, folding his arms over his green vest. "I'm not one for formality, and I don't like it used for me, either."

_I guess…that would be all right…as long as it's not…_ "Okay then, Inuyasha…"

Their eyes met for a brief moment. "But, if that is the case, then I am still in your debt, Inuyasha, as you do the same to me."

Was it coincidence, or did his ears pick up the racing beat of her heart? To tell the truth, he was feeling a little lightheaded and reckless himself. "Seeing you again would be enough."

"Again? You mean…a planned meeting?"

He had to look away once more, before she spotted the tiny hint of red in his cheeks. "Yeah…"

There was a pause, and stillness in the air around them. Kagome's heart betrayed her thoughts—she wanted to see him again, but was it worth it? _Kouga__-san is not here, so that means…_ She nodded. "I would like to see you again, Inuyasha."

He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. "Okay…"

"Fine…"

"Then, I guess I'll…"

"See you later." Kagome gulped, her voice slightly breathless. "I really…have to go now, Inuyasha. I'm going to be late."

He nodded at once, the time and place returning to him as it was to her. "You should go then." She turned, but just before she left the alleyway, he called back to her, "And, Kagome—"

She turned back instantly. "Yes?"

He grinned for a moment. "You're Welcome."

It took her a moment to realize what he was saying, but when it dawned upon her, her eyes grew wider. She could think of nothing to say, but merely gave a stiff nod, and then turned and left, leaving him behind in the alleyway. She had to stop halfway to the teahouse, to calm her racing heart.

But her feelings were still upon her face as she entered the small room, where Sango was already seated. "What has you so cheerful?" she asked skeptically.

"The turning of the seasons," she replied, "I always love it when summer comes." But even as Kagome's smile eventually faded, she couldn't help the thought. Yes, things were changing, fast.


	9. Kagome's Secret

A/N: Sorry, I didn't update yesterday, fanfiction . net was being stupid. (I think June 17th was a while ago, guys... --)

So, about this chapter. I know this chapter deals with..._sensitive_ subject material. I am NOT trying to force political views on anyone, but this is a REAL thing that did actually happen to geisha. However, most geisha did NOT react like Kagome did. All I am doing in this chapter is showing how I believe Kagome with all her personality traits, would react if she was in this situation.

I'm sorry if I offend anyone, but I am just doing what a fanfiction author should do; giving a situation and speculating upon how a certain character would react.

So now that you have read my warning, please don't send me bitchy PMs or reviews about this "view" I am "trying to force on you", okay?

* * *

**Chapter 9: Kagome's Secret**

It was to a beautiful morning that Kagome awoke, the world already seeming as if nothing could go wrong on this day. The skies shone a bright blue, with hardly any clouds, chirping birds could be heard through the open window, and the sun cast a warm light upon all. Her dreams the night before had been filled with happiness, her thoughts focused on only one man; Inuyasha.

He had promised her that they would spend time together, soon, and for her part, she just couldn't wait. She wanted to skip her engagement for the day and spend all the time with him. She couldn't describe it, but when she was around him, it was like she was a totally different person than she was seen as most of the time. She had to act a part when she was with her clients, but with Inuyasha, she could be herself, not having to care at all about the secrets to be upheld about the geisha's hidden world.

Perhaps it was his awkward kindness, or maybe it was just because she had never met a man in his station before, but she seemed to be very loose-lipped around him, describing aspects of her life without a second thought. Geisha never revealed the secrets she now so easily gave away, but when she was around him, she was not a geisha, she was simply Kagome.

However, there was one thing she had never spoken of. One thing she never wanted to speak of it all, something that would surely shame her in his eyes and make him never want to speak to her again.

He probably thought the fact that she was Kouga's personal mistress was her worst attribute, though he kindly never brought it up, but no, there was something much, much worse, and if he ever found out…what could she do? There was no possible way to explain her actions in a good light. Therefore, everything she had ever said was spoken with a careful censure of anything that may lead him to that one conclusion.

It wasn't so hard; it was something she normally didn't talk about, anyway. So, spending a day with him wasn't a threat of revealing her deepest, darkest secret. Though she was worried about what would happen if someone realized she had blown off an engagement, she truly didn't care at the moment. When Kouga returned, her life would go back to normal, but now, she honestly didn't care in the least.

Was it wrong to want to spend a day with a good friend? She thought not. Excluding the fact that this "good friend" was a _man_ of course…

She planned from almost the instant she was awake. She would go out, leaving as if she was going shopping, and find Inuyasha. It shouldn't be too hard, since his deliveries always sent him in to the heart of Shinbashi. Then, they would go somewhere, perhaps a place in Tokyo he knew of…he had never exactly told her where he lived, and she would like to see his home…

She was already looking through her wardrobe of kimono, trying to decide the best one to wear—a yellow and green one was that the forefront of her mind—as she smiled to herself, imaging the fun she was to have on this day.

Kagome absent-mindedly turned her head over, to glance at the calendar where she wrote all her engagements, to check and see if she had any other days free, when suddenly she dropped the kimono she had been holding. There, underneath the date of that day was something she had written months ago; "Go to shrine."

The smile slid off her face as she remembered…Her heart sank, and she gave a soft sigh, knowing that all her plans would have to be put aside. This was something she could not blow off just for one man. This was something personal, something Inuyasha should _never _have any part of.

_It looks like I cannot spend the day with him after all,_ she thought, sadly, putting her yellow kimono away and taking out a plain brown one to wear.

* * *

It was late morning when Kagome, dressed in the drab brown kimono, descended the stairs. She wore no makeup, and her hair was in a simple bun, the picture of modesty. Looking nice was not something to be concerned with this; the simpler the better, as she would be grateful if no one recognized her. 

While her geisha sisters and mother ate at the table, she hoped she would have been able to slip out, so they would not notice and comment upon the date. But she did not have such luck, as Sango looked up from her rice and asked, "Kagome-chan, where are you—" As the other two women looked up, Sango silenced herself, remembering at once.

But Kikyou and Tsubaki's stares were not so sympathetic. Tsubaki rolled her eyes as if she thought Kagome was silly, and Kikyou could only look at her in a way that made Kagome wonder what she was thinking. Tsubaki's thoughts weren't so hard to figure out, as she muttered, "Emotional little chit."

In an attempt to make up for what their geisha mother had said, Sango asked, "Are you going to the shirne today, Kagome?" Kagome didn't speak a word, but nodded. At least one person in the okiya understood.

Mother Tsubaki piped up, "Remember, you have an important engagement this afternoon, with that factory owner from Kobe. You had better be back in enough time to get ready, so don't spend all day crying."

Kagome was thankful the kimono's long sleeves hid her hands as they formed into tight, angry fists. "Of course," she spoke through clenched teeth. "I can _never _forget my duty to the okiya after all, Tsubaki-kaa-san."

Never angrier at her geisha mother, Kagome didn't wait to exchange goodbyes, she merely stormed out of the room, grabbing her geta on the way out and marched in to the street before the servant had time to strike the flint at her back. But as she walked along the narrow streets of Shinbashi district, passing geisha after geisha going on with their daily routine, her anger with her geisha mother faded. Now was not the time to stew with such emotions. She had left the okiya to go to the shrine for a purpose, a purpose she had to fulfill every year on this date.

And so, with a heavy heart, she turned and entered the small shrine.

* * *

The hanyou had been waiting near the Tsubaki okiya, hoping for a glimpse and perhaps a chance to talk to Higurashi Kagome. He had finished his morning deliveries, and was waiting with his cart behind another okiya, a good vantage point, seeing no one leave the Tsubaki okiya yet. He hadn't heard any jazz music from her window, so had she already left? He was just about to go back and look through the Shinbashi district, when he spotted someone—_her_—marching out of the okiya in an irritated manner. 

Inuyasha's first instinct was to go up to her, but he could see after a moment that she was really angry. Wondering what it could be about, he decided to follow her, hoping that it might give a clue as to her strong momentary feelings.

But as she walked down the small, crowded streets of the Shinbashi district, he could tell that her resentment was fading. She seemed to visibly lose her tense frame, though, he could tell something else was wrong. Her scent smelled strongly of unease. And when she turned and went in to the small shrine, he began to wonder once more.

She wasn't wearing the rich, bright colors of kimono she usually wore around him. This kimono was plain, and she wasn't even made up for the day. If he was right, geisha only dressed this way when they went to the bathhouse, so why…?

Curious, he followed her in to the shrine, making sure to keep his distance so he would not be spotted. Kagome was talking softly to one of the miko, sweeping the steps of the shrine. Kagome spoke to her in such hushed tones, that not even Inuyasha's fine ears could hear them. After a minute, the miko nodded, and Kagome walked past her to the very back of the shrine.

_What's wrong with her? _The hanyou wondered. _Why does she look so sad?_

Trying to get a better look, Inuyasha swiftly hid behind a large tree, away from the mikos and others paying their respects to the gods, as he watched Kagome. She tossed a few coins in to a collection basin, before kneeling down in front of a jizo statue, and beginning to pray.

_A jizo? _When erected at a shrine, jizo statues represented the spirits of deceased children. _But for who?_ Inuyasha remembered when Kagome had spoken of her family dying in the fire in the Tokyo slums. _Her brother, perhaps? _

While he stared, dumbfounded, Kagome was deep in prayer, remembering back two years ago…when this terrible thing happened. When she had been young, and naïve, and afraid. What was she to have done? She had been so scared, so very scared, and when she had wanted to say no, Mother Tsubaki and Kouga forced her to cave in…

"No," she shook her head, opening her eyes and speaking to the statue. "I…was wrong. I shouldn't have…I shouldn't have let them do it…" Tears formed in her eyes, remembering the terrible pain she felt after it was over, the feeling of loss that left her scarred, and unable to forgive herself for this one sin.

_I shouldn't have let them destroy a life that I wanted…I should have saved my baby! _Tears flowed from Kagome's eyes as it all came back to her now; how she had been happy when she had found out, but terrified when Mother Tsubaki threatened to throw her out of the okiya…She was only eighteen, and Kouga's mistress for but a few months, and even he said he would not take her in if she kept it…

_And they made me kill it! They made me kill my baby! _The vision of herself holding what would have been her child was enough to make Kagome lose it. _Damn you, Kouga-san! Damn you Tsubaki! _She broke down in to sobs, her shaking fist slamming next to the statue to represent the child she had aborted screaming, "Damn you for making me do this!"

Inuyasha couldn't wait anymore. He didn't know what was wrong, but he could no longer watch Kagome as she suffered. "Kagome!" he called, running towards her and pulling her away from the statue as her fists fought against him, not knowing who he was. "Kagome, Kagome! Calm down!"

He pulled her to his chest, in an effort to help stem the regretful tears she cried. Feeling herself in his arms, she cried softly, "Inuyasha?"

Sighing, he pulled her away from the stares, holding her tightly as she tried to control her half-mad sobs. "I'm here, Kagome," he told her softly. "It's all right."

Somehow, his words only made her sadder. _Inuyasha, you shouldn't have come! You shouldn't have seen—_ She couldn't tell him. She didn't want to tell him. She prayed to every god she knew he wouldn't ask as he led her to a wooden bench in a secluded area of the shrine. But, just as they sat down, her prayers were overlooked.

"Kagome, what's wrong?"

She pushed out of his arms, turning away sharply. "It's nothing!" she denied, wanting him to leave it at that. "Just a moment of foolishness…"

But her red eyes weren't going to be ignored. "Don't lie to me, Kagome. Something is wrong…I've never seen you like this. What happened?"

"I told you, it's nothing at all!" she kept her eyes away from him.

"_Kagome!_"

Squeezing her eyes tight shut, she yelled, "It's nothing of your concern!"

Unable to take it any longer, Inuyasha grabbed her arm and turned her back towards him. "It is my concern when you're upset! Who was the jizo for?"

"None of your business!" her voice sounded no longer angry, but was a high pitched, panicked cry.

"It was for one of your family, right?"

"Inuyasha!, don't—"

"It couldn't have been for anyone else, unless—"

"All right!" she broke out in another sob, before he could say the words himself. She knew he would hate her for it, that he would blame her and tell her it was all her fault, as it was, but she couldn't hear him say those words now. "All right! It was…it was for my baby!"

His face was stunned as Kagome continued to cry, tears streaming down her face. "T-two years ago, when I f-first became Kouga-san's geisha…I ended up p-pregnant and they…oh gods, they made me kill it, Inuyasha!" she wept. "I didn't want to, b-but Tsubaki-kaa-san threatened to throw me out and K-Kouga-san said he couldn't help me if I did…so they f-forced me to do it when I didn't want to and…"

Inuyasha was beginning to understand the situation as Kagome kept on crying, his heart going out to her. He had heard many geisha had to abort their unborn children if their patron did not want them to have them, but he had never expected…not _Kagome_…She told him once that she wanted a child, more than anything, and knew, the decision she did not make must have broken her heart.

He couldn't stand to watch her cry any longer, and sighed, "Kagome…" pulling her back in a comforting hug. She, however, didn't seem calmed.

"I didn't want to tell you…" small tears still ran down her cheeks. "I was so afraid that you would hate me…"

Amber eyes opened wider. "Why would I hate you?" he asked, staring back down in to her watery brown eyes.

"Because of what I did! What I allowed to be done!" she cried hysterically. "I didn't let it live because I was too afraid of what would happen if I did! If I had kept it, there was nowhere for me to go but the street, and I was so scared…"

"Kagome," Inuyasha told her softly, pulling her back to his chest. "You were given no other option, and to pray at that child's grave is enough."

"But I didn't stop them! I could have just run away…"

"And if you did, I would have never met you." The hanyou spoke at once, looking back down at her with a kind expression on her face. "Kagome, I don't blame you for what happened. I understand, all right?"

She didn't respond, but only hugged him tighter as her tears began to fade. _Thank you, Inuyasha…_

After a few more minutes, they let go of each other, and he asked, "Will you be all right?" Her eyes were still puffy and red from her moment of pain.

She nodded, "Yes…I've been here before…I just lost control…" Her heart was beginning to lose its sadness after his words had calmed her.

Inuyasha paused for another moment. After his protective instincts had gone out to help her in her moment of pain, he was beginning to feel a bit nervous. "Do you…would you like me to walk you back?"

At first, Kagome was reluctant, but he had calmed her, and did not hate her for what happened years ago. "Yes…that would be nice."

They walked back in silence, though Inuyasha's mere presence helped her as her heart slowly began to heal after the visit to the shrine. And glancing sideways at him, Kagome knew that his gruff exterior merely hid what he had shown her only minutes ago. _You are a far kinder man than you know, Inuyasha…_

And as for him, he couldn't help but think of what had happened to Kagome, and everything else she had to endure on a daily basis. _Her life is so hard, _he felt his heart drop in his chest imagining it. _I just want to help her…_

"Kagome," he told her, as soon as the okiya was in view. He blushed slightly, feelings of nervousness having fully returned. "I know that…you're sad right now, but…maybe things will turn up soon."

She gave him a smile only tinged by small grief. "They have…ever since I met you."

There was a pause, but no more could be said, as Kagome abruptly turned away. Inuyasha watched as she went back in to the okiya, Sango meeting her and gasping at the red, tear stained eyes. Knowing Kagome was safe, Inuyasha turned away, his heart lifting for the first time that day, remembering Kagome had said her life had been happier ever since she met him…

Sango, though worried about her friend who had obviously been crying, saw him leave. _Kagome was with a man? _she wondered, eyes narrowing.


	10. Simple Touch

** A/N: **Yeah, I know, late chapter. There are probably going to be more of these from now on, as I am moving in to college on Thursday and don't know how busy I will be. I WILL NOT ABANDON THIS STORY (or Replacement) but the updates might not be so...timely. Sorry 'bout this, but now that I am paying for it out of my pocket, school does come first now.

A few notes now:

Several people have asked me if I knew Inuyasha is OOC. Well...yeah. I warned in the beginning he was going to seem a bit out of character. This chapter may explain a bit when I give his backstory, because the circumstances in how he grew up are a bit different from canon Inuyasha. Also, instead of basing it solely around Inuyasha's problems, as I have done in the past, this story is mostly about Kagome's problems, meaning Inuyasha has to be her pillar of strength. So yes, I know he is OOC, and hope I have provided a good enough explaination as to why. It's an AU, they're all allowed to be a little OOC anyway.

Also, you gotta know a bit about Japanese history to fully understand this chapter. Or, just go read Rurouni Kenshin. That's where I got all my facts, anyway. :P

(and as to any spelling mistakes, I am dead tired and am going to spellcheck the chapter tomorrow, so they will eventually be fixed).

* * *

**Chapter ****10: Simple Touch**

Kagome hadn't seen Inuyasha for days, something that for once, she preferred. Despite the fact that he had been kind to her when she had been at the shrine, she didn't think she would be able to handle seeing him so soon after what she had revealed.

She hadn't wanted him to learn of her secret, but it had been inevitable; and now he knew. He had taken it better than she expected, trying to comfort her when she was afraid he would hate her for it. But he hadn't. She didn't understand why, but appreciated it all the same that he was more comforting then accusing once he learned of her sin.

Inuyasha was turning out to be very different than her first impression of him. She expected him to be rude, and arrogant forevermore. But it seemed the more she got to know him, the more she saw that kind interior that he hid so well. Why was he so kind to her now? Was it something she did?

In the days she did not see Inuyasha, she threw herself in to engagements and practicing for the Summer Dances, trying to take her mind off it. She put on a false front of happiness, giving smiles to all her customers, acting as if she was having the time of her life laughing at lewd jokes and dancing like a puppet every night. It helped, a little; being able to do something to keep away all thoughts of him and what she had told him before.

But now, she was beginning to miss him. He was rude, outspoken, and stubborn to the core, but he could be gentle, and kind. And that kindness she missed dearly. Kagome found herself wishing, hoping that she would see him in passing, just once, but she didn't. They used to run in to each other almost daily on the streets of Shinbashi, why wasn't he seen anymore?

Was it indeed because of what she had told him? Did he speak kind words, but want to avoid her at all costs anyway? He was one of the few people in her life that had been kind to her, so how could he just leave her like that without even saying goodbye?

She wished she knew where he lived, so if she needed to, she could seek him out, but he had never told her. In fact, there were so many things he had never told her about himself! He knew nearly everything about her, but she didn't know his age, where he had come from, what he liked to do, or hardly anything, for that matter. Usually when the spoke, the conversation ended up about herself.

How self-centered, she thought now, to speak about herself and her problems when there was another person next to her with probably just as many passions and struggles!

Nearly a week since she last saw him, Kagome was in her room, lazily plucking the strings on her shamisen, to take away the boredom. The rain pounded hard against the roof of the okiya, and the outdoor picnic that she was supposed to have entertained at that afternoon was canceled, and she was to have nothing to do until evening, when she would be entertaining with Sango in a teahouse on the far side of the Shinbashi District.

As Kagome hummed a tune, the shamisen's three sharp strings playing along, she heard the bell ring in front of the okiya. The bell had thrown off her concentration, but she sighed, and thought, _Probably just deliveries…_

Her eyes snapped wide open a second after that thought, and she instantly turned to the window, lifting up the curtain to look down below. The heart that had been racing fell as she saw it was not Inuyasha, but a tall man dressed in a trenchcoat and fedora hat. He was speaking to the maid, handing her a letter.

_So it's not him. _Kagome knew it was a stupid, foolish hope, but she couldn't help it—after not seeing him for so long, her heart leapt at any chance of meeting him. Dejected, she turned away, putting her shamisen aside for now.

_I guess, he doesn't want to see me after all…_

Not one minute later, one of the maids slid the door of Kagome's room open. "You have a letter, Kagome-san."

Kagome turned took the letter, thinking of only one person who would send her a letter in this way. "Is it from Kouga-san?"

"I do not know, Kagome-san. It didn't say."

That was odd. As the maid excused herself and left the room, Kagome opened the envelope to be met with shock—the letter was from Inuyasha.

As usual, it was short, and filled her with curiosity.

_Kagome, _

_You said you wanted us to have an arranged meeting, so can you meet me by the record shop around six tomorrow afternoon? _

_Oh, and you might want to wear something that your mother wouldn't mind if it got dirty._

_-I._

That last phrase made Kagome pause, thinking of a thousand different things he could mean by it, and most of them quite against Mother Tsubaki's rules. She wished he could have sent this in person so she could have asked him what he meant by it, but…

Even so, Inuyasha did want to see her! And they were finally going to have an arranged meeting instead of meeting by chance! He couldn't have picked a better day, since she was entertaining in a different place from Sango and she could blow that off without anyone being there to tell on her.

Smiling, and thinking nothing could break her happy spirits now, Kagome picked up her shamisen, and began to play the sakura song her mother had taught her long ago, unable to wait for tomorrow.

* * *

Kagome ran through the streets of Tokyo, dressed in her hakama outfit once more, cursing herself for being late. She would have been on time, if her geisha mother hadn't insisted on helping her dress for her evening engagement. She had to leave the house in full geisha regalia, then turn around, and climb through her window using the box that was perfectly placed underneath, then dress for her meeting with Inuyasha, and climb back out, hoping no one saw her. 

She had been skilled at sneaking out of the okiya for years, and knew how to be as quiet and unseen as a mouse when possible, but that did not stop the odd maid from looking out of windows and seeing the geisha Higurashi Kagome jump down from her window dressed like a schoolgirl, floppy bow and all.

She passed businessmen, schoolchildren, and tourists all over the streets of Tokyo as she ran, keeping her eyes open for those damned automobiles that she heard would sooner run over you than look. She definitely agreed with Inuyasha on his main reasons for liking the Shinbashi district—no cars meant no chances of being hit.

Turning a corner, Kagome saw the American imports shop, but no Inuyasha. Her heart sank as she slowed to a walk, glancing all around. Was Inuyasha late as well? Had he forgotten? Had this all been some sort of sick joke to make her look like a fool?

And then he was there. He stepped out from behind the building, smiling slightly, making Kagome's heart race faster. "Inuyasha…" she spoke softly, coming closer to him.

Kagome could swear that she almost saw a smile on his face. "You came," he said, looking happy.

She nodded. "Yes…I was…wondering why we hadn't seen each other in days." For a moment, she looked away, almost ashamed of her words.

"I thought…that maybe you'd want to be left alone for a while," Inuyasha looked a little bit surprised when she said she had missed him. "I mean, after _that—_"

"_Yes,_ but it left me wondering if you were avoiding me because of what happened," Embarrassed as she was to say the words, she said it anyway. "I wanted to see you."

Both were silent for a moment, the silence slightly uncomfortable, before Inuyasha turned away quickly, thinking of something to say. "Anyway, thanks for showing up."

"Was there any reason to believe I wouldn't?" she asked, but Inuyasha ignored her question. Sighing, she asked another question. "So, what are we going to do?"

"First," he said, walking over to his rickshaw cart. "We're going to be going somewhere else."

"Where?"

He couldn't help but grin slightly. "It's a surprise." He motioned to the cart. "Come on, get in."

Kagome raised an eyebrow, looking at the back of his cart, laden with straw to keep heavy packages from bumping in o each other. "Are you sure about this?"

"Look," he said, folding his arms. "It's either get in the cart, or we walk. And trust me, you don't want to walk where we're going."

Feeling that he wasn't going to let her get away with not agreeing, Kagome sighed, "All right," and climbed in to the back of the cart, feeling very foolish and very glad no one would recognize her in her schoolgirl clothes.

Inuyasha grabbed the poles of the cart and said, "Hang on!" And then they were off. With a shriek, Kagome was thrown to the back of the cart as Inuyasha took off, running down the Tokyo streets.

"Inuyasha!" she cried, hoping to make him slow down as they nearly hit several passerby, but he didn't. He let out a playful laugh as they ran past automobiles ambling their way along the streets, and Kagome understood that he was having fun in all this. Soon she too, began to see his way, as it all seemed kind of funny rather than reckless; zooming past frightened pedestrians and their terrified looks was fun, in its own way. And so, she let out her own carefree laugh, not even caring about how dangerous this was.

Finally, Inuyasha pulled the cart to a stop, and Kagome looked out to where they were. Inuyasha had pulled them all the way on to the sand of Tokyo beach, near the waters of Tokyo Bay. Kagome took one look at those waves, that had enchanted and entranced her back when she had barely known him, and wondered what this meant.

"Inuyasha?" she asked, looking out at the beautiful water as he helped her out of the cart.

"Come on," he said, urging her on towards the cool water. "I used to do this all the time when I was a kid and first came to Tokyo."

Kagome looked back at the clear blue water, looking so tempting before her, and she said, "Wait a minute." She ducked behind the cart, and from there took off everything she was wearing, save the under kimono. When she emerged, glad the dark white cloth was enough to cover herself, Inuyasha was already wading out into the water. For a moment, she looked down at the water lapping up against the beach, unsure of what she was doing, before Inuyasha urged her on. "Come on."

She gave a tiny shiver as she stepped in to the water, her bare feet slushing in the mud. The waves lapped up against her as the continued to wade out, their eyes on the orange sun, sinking on the horizon. The wind lightly brushed past Kagome's ear, as she felt Inuyasha take her hand, and with that simple touch, she felt as if he could lead her to the edge of an abyss, and she would follow.

With that touch, no matter what he did, she trusted him completely.

"Inuyasha?" she asked, turning to him, the sea air whipping across her face.

"Shh," he told her. "Close your eyes. Doesn't it feel like, you could do anything?"

Kagome closed her eyes as she was told, shutting out all thoughts of Tokyo, or geisha, or all the things she had to deal with in her life of pretending. With the sea air all around her, and the waves lapping gently about her legs, she could pretend she was anywhere, anywhere but Tokyo. She was in places she had only read about, places she wished she could visit someday; the aqua blue Mediterranean, the white sanded beaches of the Caribbean, or the tropical islands in the south pacific.

Now, she understood why Inuyasha wanted to bring her here. Here, at the ocean, near the water that always seemed to elude her, she could close her eyes, and pretend she was anywhere but here, in a life that was anything but the one she was given.

A huge wave came up along the shore, splashing Kagome and making her gasp and stumble back in to Inuyasha. He laughed. "What, I thought you liked the water?"

"I can't swim, Inuyasha!" she yelled back, noticing the water seemed higher than it was before. "Besides, I can't go back to my okiya soaking wet, can I?"

"All right," he said, still chuckling, as they headed back on the beach. "But did you like it?"

"Yes," she said, looking back at the waves now that she was on dry land. "But I'd rather not be in the water when the tide comes in." She marched back behind the cart, grabbing the rest of her clothes and trying to squeeze water out of her under kimono. "Great," she spoke outload. "How am I going to explain this if I come back to the okiya soaking wet?"

Inuyasha shrugged, "Well, you could go somewhere to dry off first."

Halfway dressed, Kagome popped her head out from behind the cart. "Where?"

Inuyasha gave her a small grin, "I know of a place you could go."

* * *

"You live here?" Kagome asked, as they stood in front of the small, wooden house in downtown Tokyo, which had pictures of geisha and rich families in the window; clearly a photography studio. 

"Yeah," Inuyasha shrugged, taking the lit cigarette he had been smoking out of his mouth. "Old Toutousai knew my father, see, so as long as I pay him rent, he doesn't mind that I live in the room upstairs." He pushed the door open, leading her in to a large room, filled with cameras set up on tripods, pictures, advertising prints, and a few chairs and backgrounds set up for photos. Seeing the images permanently preserved on paper, Kagome felt as if she was in some sort of time capsule, to record faces to be viewed for generations. "Oi, Toutousai!"

A door to a small, dark room opened and an old, bug eyed man came out, blinking. "Damn you, Inuyasha, do you have my rent yet or—" The large eyes of the man settled on Kagome, who felt very nervous all of a sudden. "I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be bringing women over here, Inuyasha…"

"Shut up!" the hanyou yelled, suddenly pink in the face. "I just wanted to show her the studio, that's all."

"Oh?" Toutousai came over to glance at Kagome more closely. "And what do you think of it?"

Kagome didn't even realize she was reverting back to her old geisha habits when she looked down, and gave a small bow. "It is a wonder to me, Toutousai-san."

The old photographer raised an eyebrow. "You may be wearing simple girl's clothes, but you're a geisha, aren't you?"

"Huh?" she gave a small gasp, wondering how he knew when no one else had ever guessed before.

"Only geisha are that polite," he explained, while glancing back at Inuyasha. Though Inuyasha appeared to be doing nothing more than smoking lazily, his golden eyes were on Kagome, never leaving her. _It's a bad idea for him to get involved with geisha,_ Toutousai thought, eyes narrowing. _She'll eventually have to leave him in the end…_

Kagome wrung her hands slightly, feeling very foolish now that someone had figured out her true identity. "Well, right now, I am not dressed as a geisha, so I am not one."

"Of course you aren't, but…" Toutousai glanced at her, wondering if he should make his offer.

"But what?" This time it was Inuyasha who demanded to know what was going on.

Toutousai spoke up, "Would you like to pose for a picture? I am in need of more models now that most of the geisha are practicing night and day for their Summer Dances."

This seemed to shock both Inuyasha and Kagome. To think of herself as a model for pictures, like other, more experienced geisha were for advertisements and posters, it was something that seemed magnificent; the perfect way to have her name known all throughout Shinbashi. Still…it was reckless, doing something like this, but after this afternoon, did she really care anymore?

"I guess," she sighed, following Toutousai over to the chair and backdrop by the camera. The photographer directed her to sit in it, and she did, hoping she wouldn't have to sit still for long. Inuyasha watched her from behind Toutousai, with a curious expression on his face while he continued to smoke.

Toutousai looked through the camera before poking his head back out. "Smile a bit," he directed. Kagome looked puzzled, and he explained, "Only geisha are supposed to look expressionless. Right now you are not a geisha, so smile."

Kagome did, noticing how hard it was to smile on cue as Toutousai hit the flash. She had never had her picture taken before, so she did not expect the sharp flash of light, and blinked several times after it had passed. "There, that should do it," Toutousai said, stepping away from the camera.

As Kagome got up to go with Inuyasha, Toutousai thought, _She looked perfect…perhaps I can slip her picture to some of my clients, since she looked much prettier than the last geisha that came in here._

* * *

Kagome had asked to see his room, and so, he led her up the small stairs in the back to the attic room. It was small, cramped, and only ventilated by one window, but for Kagome, it was a place that looked perfectly his own. 

Stepping over the futon in the middle of the floor, she went over to look at the katana that was mounted on the wall. It looked old; but for some reason, seemed to give off an aura of amazing power. "What's this?"

"That's Tessaiga…it was my Father's sword, at one time." He explained, looking at the sword. "It was the only way I had of defending myself for a while, until Japan opened up to the west and everyone started using guns instead."

Inuyasha was sitting near the window, and she could see a small closet that was half open, filled with haphazard piles of most of his usual clothes, but it also contained a well cared for, bright red hakama and haori. "You said you used it at one time? How old are you?" the question was blunt, but she as now more curious than ever.

The hanyou shrugged. "About two hundred, I suppose. From what I know, I was born during the height of the Tokugawa regime. My father was a powerful taiyoukai, and my mother was a daimyo's daughter."

_Wow…that history, and yet he's stuck in this small room in Tokyo, delivering packages for a living? _"If your mother was the daughter of a daimyo, then doesn't that make you—"

"Nothing," he explained bluntly, turning back to her. "I'm a hanyou, remember? No one was really happy about her giving birth to a half-breed, so she had to flee for her life, taking me with her. This happened right after she found out Father had died in a battle with another youkai."

"Oh…" her heart gave him some pity, knowing all too well the feeling of being estranged from family.

He continued, "After Mother died, I lived on my own, teaching myself how to survive in a world that hated me. I thought I could live that way the rest of my life, and then…"

Kagome sat down next to him, entranced by his story. "And then?"

Amber eyes met hers, "The ships came."

"You mean…" She gasped, having heard the story from her elders years ago, "When the American ships came to Tokyo harbor?"

Inuyasha nodded. "I had survived on my own, living alone, content for years, and once they came, they changed everything. War tore apart the country. Samurai turned on their people, fighting to keep the old way of life. The Emperor's army came to the last youkai, asking them to fight in exchange for freedoms they were losing under the Shogun's regime. So I found myself hunted by samurai when I had nothing at all to do with the war." He sighed for a moment, gazing out the window to look upon Tokyo, lost in thought. "I had to make a choice, to be hunted down and eventually killed for trying to keep my old way of life, or to change and adapt."

"You adapted? You fought in the Bakumatsu?"

"Near the end of the war, I fought in the Imperial Army." Did Kagome imagine it, or was his voice full of regret? "The samurai began realizing that without the youkai, they couldn't win. They even tried to recruit me, but I wasn't going to fight for them after they had hunted me. I fought for the emperor not just to save my own neck, or glory like Sesshoumaru—"

"You know Sesshoumaru-san?" Kagome cut him off, curious.

"He's my half brother," Inuyasha shrugged. "We don't really get along much. Anyway," he continued, "Like I said, I didn't fight for those reasons. I fought because…the emperor promised a new way of life, in which each man and youkai was equal. I had thought that it meant maybe there would be a better world for hanyou as well. I hoped that I could finally live among humans, and never be persecuted for my hanyou blood again." He closed his eyes for a moment, saying, "I was wrong."

"But it is a different world," She told him. "You can live among humans, like you are now. You have a place to live, money, and a job—"

This time, he cut her off, "Yeah, what a job. Full blooded youkai like Sesshoumaru got military honors, and were rewarded with money and factories and government jobs, able to stay on top like they were before. I was denied every job I applied for until someone noticed I was fast and handed me a delivery cart. All the time I am denied tips because I am a hanyou, so is it really an equal world? I don't think so. I've learned my lesson—we always strive, and say we will get an equal world, but in the end, it's a farce. It's never equal, so long as the rich, pureblooded select few stay on top and define what is equal and what is not."

Kagome was silent for a few moments, but took his hand, replied, "Well, _I _see you as an equal."

There was another silence after her comment, the simple touch all that was needed to express her feelings. But, still neither of them were quite sure what exactly those feelings were, so she let go quickly, turning away. "It's getting lade…I have to go back to my okiya soon."

Inuyasha stood up. "I'll take you back; it's dangerous around Tokyo at night."

"Thank you," she said, standing up and heading towards the door, just as she was about to open it, Inuyasha cleared his throat for a moment, making her turn back. "Inuyasha?"

What had he planned on saying? He didn't remember. And even if he did, he knew it was something that was far too strong to say right now. "Nevermind."

His hand brushed hers as he passed her through the doorway, the simple contact sending jolts of electricity up both of them.

What was it, about these simple touches that were making Kagome so embarrassed…and so excited?


	11. Tanabata

**A/N: **Well, if I told everything that has been going on with me, I'd need a new chapter for that. But all I'm going to say is; college isn't as cracked up as it is said to be. I'm already homesick. D;

Well, at least I got the chapter out on time this week, eh?**  
**

**Chapter 11: Tanabata**

Kagome continued seeing Inuyasha on and off, sometimes pausing in the street to talk with him if she spotted him on her way in the mornings. Every time she spoke with him, it was a way to brighten up her day after so long of having to take what was given. After their first planned meeting, Kagome couldn't wait to have another, so sometimes he would escort her to Toutousai's studio for photo shoots.

The old photographer had shown her picture to some of his clients, and he told them the instantly asked for more of her. Kagome found herself often going down to his studio in the best of her kimonos, sometimes bringing along a fan or an umbrella, or her shamisen, or other props to use in the picture, that would appear in an English brochure for inviting people to Japan.

At first, Kagome was nervous about her picture being put in something that would soon be all over the world, but once Toutousai assured her that her face would be without a name, she agreed. Considering that the brochure would only be in English, it was doubtful anyone she knew would pick it up to read.

The pictures she took with Toutousai now were very different from the one he had taken before. He had begun to see Kagome as her own, independent woman, but this was a painful reminder that deep down, she was a geisha, and would be forever more. It was a reminder that while she chose to spend time with him, at night, she was surrounded by more men, no doubt flirting and expecting her to respond in kind.

It was also a painful reminder that she had a patron she served. While he may be out of town, he would come back someday and expect things to be as they had been with them before. Inuyasha didn't know if he could handle it if Kagome had to say goodbye so she could go back to this 'Kouga'.

What would he do if that happened? Would he march up to Kouga and demand she was his? Put his needs before her reputation? No, he could not. He would have to leave her quietly, the times they spent together only a fond memory.

He had loved another geisha once; or at least, he thought he did. But she didn't respond to him as Kagome did, she told him right off they could never be together, and that was that. He didn't want to listen, he wanted to demand she take back her words, but she told him the painful, awful truth that he could not deny;

Even if a geisha loved outside her profession, she would have to leave him in the end.

Inuyasha knew this, and was constantly in debate over whether it was right to keep talking to Kagome, but he couldn't help it. The woman had understood him like no other woman had; he had told her of his life, and she didn't shrink away. She had accepted him fully as a hanyou, when no one else did.

It was wrong, but could he really help it? When faced with such a beautiful and kind woman, he felt himself drawn to her like a fly to honey. He was hoping, daring that perhaps he could take their relationship further, but would she allow it? Was she the same, fearful geisha that Kikyou was? Would she fear for her reputation more than her happiness?

When faced with rich men who could afford geisha mistresses, that was all he could give her. She was happy when she was with him, and though he was glad of it, he could never afford to give her expensive gifts, like the geisha comb in Kagome's hair that he knew was from Kouga. He could never afford to take care of her if someone eventually found out and cast her out of the okiya. He knew, if they continued this and it got too far, that would be her fate.

At least, if their relationship lasted until Kouga came back.

That was all Inuyasha could hope for; them being together until her patron returned from Kyoto. Once he returned, Inuyasha would have to say goodbye to all the times they were together, the happy times when they would just talk and he would admire her spirit.

Sighing, he flicked the butt of the cigarette away, turning on his heel. Yes, that was all they could have, but at least he hoped he could make the short time worth it.

Toutousai was gone when Inuyasha came back in to the room. Kagome was wearing a pretty orchid colored kimono, embroidered with sakura petals; fitting since the sakura trees finally decided to burst in to bloom months late. She held in her hands a large, red paper umbrella, but she rested it against the floor, tired after holding it up for so long.

"Inuyasha?" she asked, seeing how his eyes darkened for a moment, looking upon her in the full dress of a geisha. "Is something wrong?"

He shook his head, "No, nothing is wrong."

"There is something," she demanded, reading him like a book. "Does it have to do with what I am wearing?"

"No, I mean—"

Kagome cut in, asking softly, "Please, tell me, Inuyasha…"

He looked away for a moment, amber eyes making sure he couldn't see what she was wearing now. "You're…working hard at this, aren't you?"

She knew that was not what bothered him, but nevertheless, she answered. "Well, yes…it is something that every geisha should do at least once—"

"But you're not doing this just because you are a geisha, are you?" he finally turned to look back at her, his amber eyes seeming to stare deep in to her soul.

Her hands trembled slightly on her umbrella. "No…maybe I'm doing this for myself, as well."

"Why?"

How could she explain? How would he understand? Her eyes lowered. "Maybe it's just because I wanted to do something as big as this right under Tsubaki-kaa-san and Kouga-san's nose." She paused, "It's not so much a petty rebellion as much as something I just wanted to do by myself…to be in charge of my own career for once..."

"I can understand that," Inuyasha told her, stepping a bit closer. "You don't want to be weighed down by anyone when it comes to decisions in your life."

Kagome nodded, "Yes…I just want my own life…I have my own, separate life, but now I long for my own geisha life, without having to answer to anyone."

"You should," he replied softly, never quite noticing how, even in her geisha makeup, she still looked like the innocent girl he wanted to shelter and protect from the world. "You shouldn't have to answer to anyone about what you want to do…you should be in charge when it comes to everything in your life."

Kagome looked away, rolling her eyes skeptically. "In a perfect world, it would be such, but it is not one…"

"What if…" Would he dare? Was it possible that…? Kagome turned back to look in his eyes, looming ever closer. "What if your world could be made perfect? What if for just a little while, you didn't have worries, or cares…it was all as you desired?"

Why was her heart racing so fast? "That….that isn't possible…"

"Isn't it?" The world had faded to only the two of them now. "You deserve it and much more. Who is to say that it could not happen?"

Half of her heart told her to resist. The other half told her to abandon all common sense. "Could it truly…happen?"

"If you wish hard enough, Kagome," There was hardly anything between them now. All that existed was the gazes between their eyes; the impending touch between them was so close that Kagome could almost taste it. "Anything is possible."

Kagome had never felt like this before. Where her breath ran short, and her heart seemed so off pace with the rest of her body. Why was Inuyasha looking at her like that? Why did he still continue to look, and why couldn't she turn away? Why did she get the wonderful feeling rising within her breast, and why didn't she want it to stop? Why, oh gods, why did she want him to take her in his arms and kiss her right there?

A blinding flash broke the moment as both Kagome and Inuyasha jumped, looking over and seeing Toutousai at the camera. Inuyasha yelled, "Tououtsai!" his face as red as a beet.

Kagome was sure she was bright red too, as she hid her face in her hands, hearing the old photographer laugh. "I'm sorry, but it was too good of a pose to pass up."

Inuyasha continued to argue with his landlord, but Kagome had to sit down, and think. Inuyasha had never looked at her that way before. The only one who looked at her in that way was Kouga…

Oh, how had she not seen it before? She was brought up to make men fall in love with her, but she didn't even realize what was happening until after it did. She didn't want it to happen, to turn their innocent friendship in to more of a scandal than it already was, but…

Inuyasha must be falling in love with her, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

* * *

The sakura were now in full bloom, as Kagome came back to the studio the next day, for another round of photos. This time, Inuyasha didn't even return from his deliveries until it was finished, walking in casually as Toutousai announced he would head to the darkroom to develop the photos. 

With Toutousai out of the room, Inuyasha approached her, not noticing how Kagome instantly stiffened as he came closer. "How was today?" he asked casually.

"Not bad," she replied, trying to keep their conversation from turning into anything more. "The same as usual, I guess."

"Are you going to come tomorrow?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so. Toutousai said he was going to be downtown all day to take pictures of the Tanabata decorations."

Inuyasha took another long puff on his cigarette, as if he was trying to make a hard decision. "So…are you going to go to the festival."

Looking mildly surprised at his comment, Kagome shook her head and replied, "I will remain at my okiya all day—I've never been to the festival. Geisha usually do not go."

"You've never been to the Tanabata festival?" He looked shocked. "Never, not even when you were young?"

"Never. We were too poor to eve go."

Inuyasha boldly charged forward with his next sentence. "You must come at least once in your life! I could come and pick you up tomorrow if you wanted to go…"

"I would love to go!" she said at once, before remembering the situation and adding, "But are you sure you want to go? You have deliveries and—"

The hanyou shrugged it off. "This is more important."

"I guess…" Kagome gulped, not quite sure what she had gotten in to. She knew Tanabata was primarily a _courtship _festival…would Inuyasha expect anything?

_I'll just have to be careful, and stay on my guard, _she reminded herself, her eyes glancing at him for only a moment. _If I don't lose my head and keep cool, then nothing can happen, nothing at all._

* * *

The stars shone bright in the night as Kagome and Inuyasha walked along the streets, surrounded by others like themselves who had come to the festival. Kagome saw a few parents and children, but mostly it was small couples, walking along and laughing, as if they couldn't see anything in the universe except themselves. 

Many at the festival were dressed in kimonos and yukatas, and Kagome wore one of the plainer (yet still richly decorated) kimonos the okiya had, while Inuyasha didn't dress up at all. He explained he wasn't one for tradition. He preferred to have things the way he wanted it, and damn anything else.

She wished more than ever she could live like that. But she had too many responsibilities…and there were too many things on the line that she couldn't afford to lose if she threw caution to the wind and decided to have things the way she liked despite Tsubaki-kaa-san's tyranny over the okiya.

Kagome was amazed at everything she saw, having never been to a festival like this before. She saw games, food of every kind, and people…people so unlike herself talking, laughing, and enjoying life as it should be enjoyed. When she first walked in to the festival, with Inuyasha at her side, she was nervous, more nervous than she had ever been in her life, but somehow, after a while, Inuyasha's presence calmed her down.

They walked around for a bit, Kagome sometimes asking about the games or food, but the small game booths where one could win a cheap toy didn't appeal to her…what would she do with it if she won, after all? She did, however, sample some of the cheap, good food that she found in another booth. It wasn't as food she had at the okiya, but the onigiri was delightfully warm, and had a distinct taste.

Kagome heard a loud boom, and the sounds of everyone in awe. She turned, and she people gasping at pointing at the beautiful red firework that exploded in the sky; light trails looking like flower petals. "Inuyasha?" she asked.

He looked, the vibrant colors of the fireworks reflected in his eyes. "They always have fireworks on Tanabata…I can't remember one without."

"Always?" she asked, as they sat down on a small bench, surrounded by drooping trees, nearly encasing them from the rest of the world. As another boom filled the air, Kagome gasped, having seen the fireworks from afar but never this close. These golden stars that filled her vision were almost magical; it was hard to believe something like this was real.

Nothing seemed quite real in her life anymore…

She nibbled on the last on the onigiri, watching the bright display in silence. Kagome felt herself drawn in by the fireworks; something magical that that every child was surely in awe at, as she saw as well. Something so bright and beautiful made her forget, forget everything about her life as a geisha, and made her almost believe that she had come here with no worries of her geisha mother or anyone else finding out. She could imagine that she wasn't pretending to still be friends with Inuyasha, when he had so obviously brought her to a courtship festival.

For one moment, entranced by the fireworks, she didn't lie to herself or the world. She felt Inuyasha's soft voice say somewhere close to her ear, "They're beautiful, aren't they?"

"Yes," she sighed, unconsciously leaning back in to him. "Very beautiful…"

"Most beautiful thing I have ever seen," he said softly, his eyes only on her. His hand drifted, his fingertips brushing the back of her neck for ever just a moment, the place that was usually left bare covered by yellow silk.

Kagome slowly turned to look at him, just like what happened in Toutousai's studio. Only now, she was not restricted from the visual reminder of being a geisha. Here, in this place she was allowed to think as what she really was—a young woman who had never quite felt this way before.

There were no more questions asked in her mind, as she came closer, her eyes meeting his. She had never quite noticed how his eyes were like fire; golden fire that lit up ever centimeter she came closer.

If it had not been for the fireworks, she would have stopped, and cautioned herself as to what she was thinking. But she couldn't even fathom anything but was happening as it did; in a swift moment, her lips found his, and the geisha who was already given to another man kissed the hanyou delivery boy.

A firework exploded, as Kagome let him kiss her and show her his true feelings. It was nothing like she had ever felt before; usually when Kouga kissed her, she was passive while he was overly passionate; now she felt herself move closer and kiss Inuyasha like she had never done before.

For the first time, her actions held no lie, she kissed him because she wanted to. Because she had no further desires but to be here, in his arms, being loved like every woman should have.

Another loud boom exploded overhead, and Kagome slowly pulled away, her eyes wide. Inuyasha, too, looked a little dazed. Only now, after the fact, she realized the consequences of what had happened. Oh gods, what had she done?

She looked away sharply, contemplating the feelings she always knew were there, but had tried to hide so hard. "Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, returning back to the present.

"I have to go, Inuyasha," she said softly, child-like and afraid. "I have to get back to the okiya."

"But, Kagome—"

"If I don't go, Tsubaki-kaa-san will know! I have to get back before…" She didn't say anymore as she jumped up and left him behind, running back through the streets, passing the carefree lovers that could love without any worry of being caught.

Kagome hardly realized where she was going, too much in shock, but her feet knew the way. She was at the okiya before she knew it, and soon she found herself climbing back through the second-story window. Safe in her room, she collapsed on to the futon, closing her eyes as the pain nearly tore her apart.

It was wrong. What had happened shouldn't have. If she was caught, it would be all over for her, she knew that, yet…

She could never, ever regret kissing Inuyasha. Not when it had been wanted so badly. Not when it had been the most joyful moment of her entire life. Not when she wanted that joyous moment again, and would cross any bridge to feel it once more.


	12. A Warning

A/N: Uggg...late chapter. Sorry about this, but with the long weekend and homework, I fell behind. I've been really busy, so I hope you can forgive me. I did try to give you a good chapter, however.

Anyway, in a general week, I have come to see, I have more than enough time at the present to do the fanfiction, so there is no need of you guys to worry at this time that I won't have them out within the weekly range. You'll probably see less random one-shots, unless something HUGE happens (like we get a kiss or something), and poor **Replacement**...I'll finish that eventually... T.T

Also, for manga readers, wasn't this week's chapter CUUUTE? I hope we get a few more of these cute ones before the series ends.

* * *

**Chapter 12: A Warning**

Kagome was up half the night, contemplating the new and scary development in her life ever spiraling out of her control. She didn't know what to do; hardly knew what to think now that it was clearer than ever that Inuyasha was most definitely in love with her. And now she knew her true feelings; that she wanted to respond to his love and allow herself that freedom for once in her life, despite the danger it posed.

But even so, the thought that it was wrong and something taboo held her back. How could she stand to live with him like that if it was to be a secret and a lie? They would never stroll down a lane, free of cares and worries like normal lovers; all their times together would have to be secret, with stolen moments that ended all too quickly. Did she really want to enter in to such a relationship that they both knew would never last?

If she turned down this chance, and didn't allow herself to give in, she knew it would be a regret she held for the rest of her life. She didn't want that regret. Yet she also didn't want to risk taking the chance she would have to take.

Why couldn't she just live a normal life and not have to worry about any of this at all? If she were a normal woman, she could have allowed herself to fall in love with Inuyasha without a second thought. Oh, if only her destiny hadn't been that of a geisha!

While she lay awake, unable to make up her mind as to the right course of action, she should have been more worried about other things. When she had come back to her room in the middle of the night, her heart pounding and her mind so confused and afraid, she didn't see Mother Tsubaki walking around the front of the okiya; eyes narrowing when she saw her prize geisha climbing through the second story window like a common child.

Kagome slept late that day, after being kept awake for so long with thoughts of love and worry. When she finally did fall into slumber, it was welcomed; her mind was able to shut off and not have to think over and over the problem that plagued her life. When her eyes peeked open at their normal time, she rolled over and shut her eyes once more, hoping for that blissful, carefree sleep to take the problems away once more.

So, when she finally did wake up, and allow herself no more time to hide from the world, it was nearing afternoon. Her long hair fell unkempt around her shoulders as she slid open the door from her room, dressed in nothing but her plain sleeping room, heading downstairs to eat her breakfast and prepare for the long and trying day.

Her feet had barely touched the landing when a strong hand grabbed her arm hard, pulling her back into the hallway.

Kagome's heart thumped slightly in fear when she saw it was Tsubaki that had pulled her back, the geisha mother's face madder than ever. Kagome wished it wasn't so, but it seemed like Tsubaki's eyes could look deep within her and see all her secrets. "Tsubaki-kaa-san…" she began, trying to keep her voice calm. "Is something wrong?"

"You should know better than to play dumb with me, Higurashi Kagome," Tsubaki began, Kagome's eyes opening wider as she knew hope was lost. "I saw you scamper through your window late last night. Now…why _would _a geisha need to climb back in to her bedroom window, when she could have just knocked at the gate and a servant would have let her in?"

_She knows…_Kagome thought in fear, but had no choice in her next words without endangering herself even more. "I…I was very late in coming home from entertaining the Chinese ambassador…I d-didn't want to wake anyone up—!"

Letting out a small cry of pain as Tsubaki twisted her arm for a moment before throwing her down to the floor, Kagome heard her geisha mother yell in rage, "That's a lie and you know it! I heard from the mother of the okiya across the street that you went out with a man last night!"

Alerted by the noise, Sango, Kikyou, Rin, and other servants had gathered in the stairs and the hall, watching with stunned faces. "All right!" Kagome cried, lifting herself slightly off the tatami mat to face Tsubaki. Her eyes no longer held fear, but now were set in a defiant gaze. "I _did _leave with a man, but it was only to repay him for his kindness!"

There was a collective gasp among the servants and everyone, save Sango, who merely stared with blank eyes. But at this moment, Kagome could have cared less. She had gotten caught before she had even dared to go as far as she wanted. The anger at that thought gave her the recklessness she needed to confront Tsubaki.

Glaring down at Kagome like a hawk waiting for prey, Tsubaki ordered, "You will _never _see that man again, is that clear, Kagome?"

"_Why?_" she challenged, standing back up to face her geisha mother. All the anxiety and stress and frustration she had been feeling now bubbled to the surface, channeling everything to her defiance of her geisha mother and her restrictive rules.

"You know why, you little whore!" roared Tsubaki, stepping closer; her own striking eyes looking as if they could kill. Her face was contorted in rage; the hideous scar above her right eye was nearly pulsing. "You have been shirking your engagements and bringing in less profit because you have been with _him_, haven't you?"

Without thinking, Kagome bellowed back, "And what if I have?"

A loud smack was heard as Tsubaki slapped Kagome clear across the face, the shock and quick pain enough to remind her of the seriousness of the situation. All defiance evaporated, as she slumped back, a hand upon the red mark across her face, her anger disappearing as realization and fear came upon her once more.

"You are a shameless, brazen woman then, worthy of nothing but the brothels," Tsubaki snarled, as she came to leer over Kagome once more. "A geisha is a patron of the arts, not a common prostitute, as you have _clearly _mixed up the two."

Kagome turned away, trying to keep her fingers from trembling as she realized what she had done. "I am innocent of everything…"

"You had better be," her geisha mother warned in a cold voice. "If I hear any different, you will be out of this house faster than you can say 'kimono'. The only reason I hesitate to put you out on the street as now is thanks to that well paying Kouga-san."

Being saved by Kouga was something she had wanted to avoid, but now, Kagome looked up to him as her deliverer from a fate she was terrified to face. "Tsubaki-kaa-san…" She couldn't look at her anymore.

Tsubaki continued, her voice never wavering in its cruelty, "You will be loyal to Kouga for what good he does our okiya with his money, or you will be a whore for everyone. This is a warning. Disobey it, and you will see how hesitant I am to cast you aside then."

The geisha mother turned to walk away, her grey kimono flapping about her ankles, but Kagome, eyes red from holding back tears asked in a fit of hopelessness, "So am I not allowed to have friends, or anything at all?"

Her geisha mother turned back, glaring. "The only friends you should have are women. Men do not want friendship from you; they only lust for the pleasure your body can provide them. You are a geisha; you do not make "friends" with the men you meet and serve. Be thankful of that; with the station you were born in to; you are fortunate to have this life over the alternative."

The words hit Kagome like a slap in the face, "Remember Kagome, you were sold to this okiya when you were a small girl, because your family didn't want you."

"That's a lie!" she couldn't help but shout back, her previous meekness losing to the sting the insult had caused. "My family sent me here because they wanted to give me a better life!"

Mother Tsubaki gave a high, sharp laugh. "Ha! Is that what they told you? Well, it doesn't matter in any case—you would have died when that fire came through and killed your family. You were only spared because you were here, training to become a geisha. You should be grateful of that fact, and never dare to disobey me again."

Kagome couldn't bring herself to say anything as Tsubaki swept away, reminding her, "If I hear anything else about you and men that are not your patron, I will not hesitate to throw you out on the street faster than the blink of an eye."

When she left, eventually the spectators shuffled out, but one lone figure stayed behind to look sadly at Kagome, lying helplessly on the tatami mat, tears beginning to trickle down her face. Sango stepped closer, reaching out a hand to Kagome, but Kagome shrank back, turning to stare at her friend's eyes. There was no shock or surprise in them at the previous exchange. _She knew…_

"Kagome…"

"Don't, Sango-chan," Kagome began, her voice slightly watery. "Just…leave me alone."

And then Kagome retreated to her room, her heart having fallen deeper than it did the night before, knowing the final truth—it didn't matter that she had fallen in love with Inuyasha. It didn't matter that more than anything, she wanted to run into his arms at this very moment and be comforted. All that mattered was that it was wrong, and if she attempted to follow the one desire in her heart, she would lose all she had worked for years to become.

* * *

When she knew her relationship with Inuyasha could never be, Kagome knew it was time to return to the sad, dreary life that she was supposed to have as a geisha, and put all thoughts and memories of the times they shared together behind them. She did not go to Toutousai's studio anymore, for fear of Mother Tsubaki watching from the shadows, and neither sent a note as to why she could not come and pose anymore. 

While she did not seek Inuyasha out, she hoped he wouldn't be looking for her, and accidentally come across her in the presence of another geisha. Kagome considered it lucky that the scandal had not spread any further than the people in her okiya, and knew Tsubaki had probably shut them up for the okiya's own good. Any stain to her reputation also reflected upon the okiya, and the other geisha within it.

Even though Kagome was unhappy with the consequences of her actions, she was glad that her foolishness had not harmed Sango or Kikyou's careers, as well.

But, she knew it was beyond hope that she would never see Inuyasha again without him seeking her out.

Just a few days after Tanabata and its repercussions, Kagome was walking down a small street in Shinbashi when she spotted a familiar face, smoking a cigarette and pushing a cart full of packages coming towards her.

Upon seeing him, her heart skipped a beat, and she tried to turn and hide back in the crowd before he saw her, but she was too late. "Kagome? Hey, Kagome, wait up!"

Oh Gods, why did he have to shout her name like that! She ran, she didn't care if people stared, but she ran and continued to run until she found a dark alleyway behind a kimono shop. Panting, she took a minute to catch her breath, hoping with that heavy cart, Inuyasha wasn't able to keep up, and had given up on talking to her.

She was wrong.

She had hardly been in the small alleyway for a minute, when Inuyasha suddenly surprised her by appearing at the end of the small space, coming towards her with a look of confusion on his face. "Kagome, what's gotten in to you—?"

"Go away!" she yelled, glancing around for a way to escape, but he was blocking the only way out! "Just leave me alone, Inuyasha, I don't want to talk to you!"

Amber eyes narrowed, as the delivery boy took a long puff on his cigarette. "Is that so?"

Kagome searched for another excuse, "Inuyasha please! I have an engagement I'm already late for, just let me go!"

"Right," he snorted, stepping even closer. "And why does your scent smell of fear?"

"Inuyasha!"

It was then that he saw her eyes—they looked so afraid…so very different from the way she had looked at him just days ago as they sat under the stars during the Tanabata festival. Now, all his confusion and annoyance faded as he realized something was truly wrong. "Kagome? What happened?"

She turned away, but knew, in the end, she had no choice but to tell him. "Tsubaki-kaa-san…she saw me come in…the other night…sh-she knows, Inuyasha." His amber eyes widened, fear for her fully evident. "And…I can never see you again."

He stood silent for a moment, all happy thoughts he had about seeing her shattering. "Kagome…"

"Don't you understand? If I am caught with you, Tsubaki-kaa-san will throw me out, and I can't have that happen!" She took another small breath, deciding to be cruel was the only way. "I have too much riding on this to allow you to get in my way."

Golden eyes narrowed. "Don't be an idiot," he spoke gruffly, his voice even harsher because he spoke with the cigarette in his mouth. "You're not thinking of your career at all, are you? And you know deep down, letting go is not what you want."

On the defensive, she spat back, "And how can _you _know what I want?"

Inuyasha didn't reply at first, but simply took the cigarette butt out of his mouth, and crushed it with the heel of his scuffed brown shoe. His arms folded across the brown vest he wore over the casual shirt, a constant reminder of his low status. When his eyes finally met hers again, he spoke softly, "Because the kiss you gave me was not one of someone who thought only of their career over their own happiness. There was something there; you must have felt it."

Kagome's eyes got wider upon this unexpected move from him. Just a reminder of that small kiss they shared at the Tanabata festival was enough to send her face a shade of pink and her heart several beats faster. "S-stop…it's not true…"

But the hanyou didn't stop, he walked closer to her as he continued, "You have lived all your life in the shadows, hidden behind a mask, hiding your emotions when all you wanted was someone to love you, protect you and take care of you, forever."

"Don't—"

Inuyasha wasn't going to quit now. He came closer, lightly grabbing her across the arm and pulling her closer, so close that they could have repeated the kiss on the night of Tanabata if they wanted. "You lived for years serving arrogant men, like that Kouga, who understand nothing, wishing and hoping for something better, so don't you tell me you don't want this when you kissed me like someone desperate for something more—"

"Shut up!" she roared, breaking free of his hold, slapping him hard across the face. He stumbled back a bit, and Kagome gave a slight gasp only seconds later, realizing what she had done and feeling instant regret. "Inuyasha…"

The hanyou looked back up at her, his eyes cold, the red mark on his cheek blazing against the smooth skin of his face. His silver bangs seemed to fall forward into his eyes for a moment, before he spoke softly, "Fine."

"Inu…yasha…" She tried to come closer, but he didn't accept her touch.

"So this is how you feel now," he continued, his words cutting her deeper than Tsubaki's. He turned away saying, "As you wish, I will leave you alone…"

Kagome wanted to call him back, but she couldn't—the words froze on her tongue. _This is for the best…for the best… _she reminded herself, but it didn't help ease her emotions.

Before he left the small alleyway, the hanyou did turn back once, his eyes calmer than before, but holding that gaze of longing that broke her heart. "But if you ever change your mind…" he didn't finish his sentence, preferring to turn sharply and leave her behind, tears of sadness welling up in the corners of her eyes.

_This is the way it should be…_she reminded herself, finally getting the courage to leave the small place and face the cruel, cold world once more. _This is the only way I can live now…_

She clutched at her chest, feeling near unbearable pain in her heart. _Yet why does doing the right thing hurt so much?_

_How can I ever live like this, without him in my life at all? Will I be able to survive without him at my side, so I can continue my career as a geisha?_

But, while Kagome walked back to the okiya, nursing her breaking heart, she paused, to look up at the fully blooming sakura trees. Seeing the beautiful blossoms in the sunlight, she asked herself, _Is__ my career the most important thing to me anymore? _


	13. A Woman's Heart

A/N: Well, I've been having a bit of fun, because I rediscovered one of my favorite manga series--Kodocha. It's aimed at a younger auidenace, but its fun in that it is good for a few giggles and "awwws" when you need them. I've been a bit down lately. :/

Oh well, being down always helps me when I write angsty chapters, so I guess it's okay. Though this is short, I hope you guys enjoy it.

* * *

**Chapter 13: A Woman's Heart**

The teachers and directors at the rehearsals for the summer dances had never seen Higurashi Kagome work so hard. It was as if all she was doing these days was practicing her dancing, and was far ahead of the others when it came to memorizing steps. It seemed as if she was determined to outshine everyone else with her dance, but only her old dancing teacher noticed the way she slightly limped on her feet as she left the stage—it seemed she had been practicing night and day for only a few days, as if she was possessed.

Kagome knew all the words to her solo, and sung it beautifully, but even so, her voice wavered when the maiden spoke of her love and how she wished to love him forever. She had always been a master of hiding the emotions upon her face, but somehow, the geisha conducting her knew something was the matter. "Kagome-san, is something wrong?"

"Wrong? What do you mean?" she asked, without a hint in her expression that there was something bothering her.

"Your song," the older woman spoke, pointing to the music. "I've never heard you sing it so, profoundly."

Kagome glanced away, only for a moment, "I've been practicing. It would be a shame if I was worse after all that practice, wouldn't it?"

The woman who had taught Kagome to sing ever since she was a little girl looked at her with sympathy in her eyes, something that was a rare view in geisha's lives. "All the practice in the world cannot make you sing as if your heart is as broken as the tragic maiden's, Kagome."

For only one moment, Kagome's face betrayed the true torment her heart was going through. Her brown eyes, that she always avoided making contact with, looked up at her teacher, revealing the sadness she could not hide. She looked away quickly, her expression never wavering, but her eyes could hide what she held inside.

Her teacher could say nothing to her after that, knowing internally that whatever she said could not help. "Just keep practicing, Kagome-san," was all she could say.

Kagome gave a small bow to her teacher. "There is no need to worry, I practice every day." _I have nothing else to do…_

She had locked Inuyasha out of her life, and now what was she to do but put herself fully back in to her geisha life; the way it was _before _she met him?

She had thought, that now she had decided not to see him anymore, that things could go back to normal; when all she had cared about was her rising geisha career, and nothing else. She practiced for the summer dances like mad, hoping to amaze the audience and perhaps earn a better reputation for herself, in order to reach her goal; to become the most famous geisha in all of Shinbashi.

She didn't skip a single engagement, and often after the parties she was hired for were finished, she dropped in on others, a way of spreading her name and face all around Shinbashi once more. She quickly trained herself to hide everything behind an expressionless face once more, so when she laughed and flirted at parties, none of the men would ever guess that inside, her heart was breaking.

But in the okiya, it was clear to everyone, especially Sango, that Kagome was suffering. Even before the handsome delivery boy walked in to her life, Kagome never practiced her dancing and shamisen for hours and hours upon end. It seemed like she had thrown herself into her practicing, to forget all memories of Inuyasha. It would be late at night, or early in the morning, and Sango would pass by her geisha sister's room and hear the soft twang of the strings upon the shamisen.

And when seen up close, Kagome's hands held small calluses, from pressing to hard upon the strings when making a note. Though she never said a word, her feet ached from rehearsing the steps in the dance over and over again. The only things her geisha mother and sisters didn't see her doing was singing—she waited for when everyone was gone for the day, and hid in her room, practicing the song as quietly as possible. She didn't want them hearing this song, of the tragic maiden and the lover that left her. Whenever she practiced alone, she couldn't help but see Inuyasha in her mind, and whenever she saw his face, tears trickled down her cheeks.

It was hard enough to sing the song at rehearsals and not show her true feelings; what she _really _practiced in her room.

When she was not entertaining, or practicing, there was only one thing Kagome wanted to do; sleep. She had learned early on that slumber was her only comfort; when asleep, she couldn't feel. Nothing in the world could hurt her. And so, when memories of Inuyasha and the last time she saw him became too painful, she went to sleep, to take the pain away.

That was how she dealt with it, and it seemed to take over every hour she was not busy at work. Peaceful, gentle sleep was the only cure she knew for heartache, but it could not put the memories from her brain long enough to cure the constant ache in her heart.

Kagome knew Sango wanted to talk to her, but Kagome would not let her; she didn't want to hear what her friend had to say. No doubt Sango would try to comfort her, and tell her everything was for the best, but Kagome didn't want to hear it; she had already told herself over and over that this was the only way.

She had to choose this way. She had to choose the life of a geisha over what the heart of a woman wanted. Her desire t be the most famous geisha in all of Shinbashi had to be first; for her safety and security.

But sometimes…when sleep did not come easy, she would look up at the ceiling of her room, and wonder, ponder the dangerous question; was this _really _the right thing to do?

The current geisha who was most famous in Shinbashi was getting older, and would soon retire. The spot would lay open, for any geisha in this district to crawl her way up to the top. Was it truly in Kagome's destiny to shine in that spotlight?

_The most famous geisha in Gion killed herself in 1919, _Kagome remembered, rolling over on her futon and pulling the blanket over her head, trying to shut out the thoughts that kept coming. _Why was she so sad that she couldn't live with herself anymore? Was she…did she have a similar situation to mine? Was there someone she loved, that she couldn't be with all the same?_

Kagome glanced between the blankets to see the exquisite jade comb Kouga had given her lying next to her mirror. _What is it about being the most famous geisha of all that makes you unhappy? You'd think that she would have been happy to be at the top, the one everyone knew; the most famous of all…_

But somehow, Kagome knew. She knew all along, but had never understood it until now. _Maybe it was because as one grows more into the life of a geisha, she loses the heart of a woman. To push yourself to be something your not is to lose yourself entirely. _

She rolled over once more, her eyes looking straight at the gramophone across the room. _Is that what will become of me? Shall I share her fate if I become the most famous geisha in Shinbashi? Push me away from myself until I can no longer stand it? _

Still holding the blanket around her, as if a security barrier from the world, Kagome turned on the gramophone, the needle falling on the Helen Kane record someone very close had given her once…

The soft music filled Kagome's ears, and even though she could not quite understand the words Helen Kane spoke of, she knew the woman all the way across the world sung of the thing that occupied all women's hearts; love.

When Inuyasha had given this to her, she had been so happy. All he had wanted to do was make her happy, and she had pushed him away. She should feel horrible, but what could she do? They both knew if they entered in to anything, it would not last and would likely destroy both of their lives. Kagome would be ruined as a geisha, and probably put out on the street. Inuyasha wouldn't be as worse off, but gossip would always label him as the man that had destroyed the career of Higurashi Kagome.

_Why can't he understand, that it's better this way? That we can never be together as we wanted? That it was a dream we could never accomplish?_

Her heart ached, and she had never known before she met Inuyasha, that she could feel this way. She never knew her heart could hurt so much.

Before Inuyasha, she thought she was lost. She thought she had gone down the path of a geisha too far, and that she could never love as a normal woman. She had thought that she had lost all ability to feel; to know what it was like to love a man. She had once accepted that fact, knowing true love would never be hers in exchange for becoming the most famous geisha in Shinbashi.

But he had walked in to her life, and now…she knew she was not the heartless, soulless woman she had thought. She could still feel and love, even if that feeling brought her to sorrow. Inuyasha had taught her to smile again, to laugh. He had taught her that even in the life of a geisha, it was possible to be happy. And she had repaid him by telling him she would never see him again.

_What do I do? _she asked herself, as the music switched to a more mournful song. _What can I do? I am selfish; I want Inuyasha and my career as a geisha, when I know I can only pick one. _

_Forgetting him is the only way to assure safety and stability. I'll always have a place to live, and be cared after. I will become famous and have my name known for generations to come…people will still talk of me years after I have gone…I will have achieved my goal…but in the end, for what?_

Kagome remembered her mother telling her something, years ago, just before she was sold to the okiya. _It doesn't matter what we do in our lives, since we only have one. What only matters is that you lived your one life happily. _It was as if her mother spoke from the grave when she asked, _Kagome, are you happy this way?_

She pulled the blanket closer around herself, hugging her knees to her chest. _No…I'm not happy…I'll never be happy like this…_

_And what does make you happy?_

Chocolate brown eyes instantly looked over at the gramophone, to the record playing softly on it…a present _he _had given her, once…

_Him…_

* * *

The light pink petals had finally begun falling all over the city of Tokyo, the sakura blossoms falling like raindrops against a clear blue sky. Caught by the wind, the petals floated among the air, the breeze pulling them along, to dance with the wind for a time, until they met the ground, their journey and life at end . 

The sakura blossoms matched the light pink kimono a geisha wore as she crossed the small wooden bridge across the man made pond, near the large shrine in Shinbashi. Trees lined the small pond in the park, and their cascading blossoms nearly blocked the view of the geisha as she crossed the bridge, to stop, and lean against the wooden rail, looking down in to the clear water, with pink petals floating across its surface.

Kagome didn't dress at all like a geisha, except for the light pink kimono decorated with falling white blossoms along the sleeves and the bottom hem. Her hair fell down her back, and her face was not painted, so when she looked in to the water, she saw the face of a normal woman, not bound by geisha duty.

She was anxious, and nervous, and her heart beat louder than she had ever felt it beat before. It was true; she may have the life, and face of a geisha, but inside, her heart was still that of a woman, a woman struggling like any other.

Kagome looked around, but hidden behind the curtain of the falling sakura blossoms, she could hardly see anything besides the bridge and the pond. It was as if the sakura trees and their falling blossoms were the barrier cutting her off from the real world. It was as if they recognized that the Sakura Blossom of Tokyo was here among them, and paid homage to her name and her struggles by gracing her with a gentle shower of weeping petals.

She turned away from the water, wringing her soft hands slightly, looking away from the sakura trees, putting that name away from her mind. She had never been so nervous in her life. _What if this doesn't work? What if I came here all for nothing, what if…_

Kagome heard someone step on to the wooden bridge behind her. As her heart thumped frantically in her chest, she slowly turned around, seeing none other than Inuyasha standing before her, a desperate expression on his face.

Wind swept all around them, pulling on both of their hair, as more blossoms fell, shielding them from view. "You said…for me to meet you here…" his voice was almost rigid, as if he was nervous, afraid, and unable to believe what he was saying and seeing.

The geisha's eyes met his for a moment, until she turned for a brief moment, looking back down at the water below. "You shouldn't have come…you shouldn't keep coming after me…it's not right…" She paused for a moment, her hand clenching slightly upon her kimono sleeve—a kimono she had taken from the okiya stores. "I am a geisha…I have a duty to Tsubaki-kaa-san and my career…A duty that cannot be broken by this…"

He silenced her by saying simply, "I don't care," and taking a step closer.

She couldn't deny that her heart beat loudly with every step he took closer. Still not looking back at the face of the man that had completely changed her life and way of thinking, she continued to warn him, "You should just leave right now, and not bother with me…I'm a terrible woman; I lie and cheat on a daily basis as part of my career…I killed my own child because I was too afraid to be thrown out on to the street and try to live on my own! I am a woman that can't be turned from that path, no matter what I feel, don't you understand that?"

The hanyou wasn't about to stop now, taking more steps closer until he was next to her, silhouetted against the shower of sakura petals. "I don't care. It doesn't matter what you have done; none of it matters now."

Kagome felt his strong and comforting hand upon her shoulder, and slowly, she turned towards him, her eyes meeting his golden ones sparkling so softly. "Why are you going to all this trouble? You know in the end, it's hopeless…even if I do not get caught, I will have to go back to Kouga-san in the end…there is nothing that will keep us together in then, don't you know that? Eventually, this dream will all end, and we'll wake up to a reality of problems we made…and yet you still…"

There were tears in her eyes as she spoke, knowing of the eventual heartbreak they will have to go through. "Why would you still want me after all this? Why?"

Inuyasha silenced her with a single look. True, he knew eventually this would all end, but until that day came… "Because I never met a woman quite like you."

His soft fingertips grazed her cheek, bringing her closer to him and the warmth and love that he offered, but Kagome couldn't let him kiss away the tears so easily. "B-But I don't understand! Why would you want me if this won't last? Why, after I rejected you?"

"Kagome," his voice was soft, a contrast from the gruff one he showed those who did not know him. "I want to see you smile. Don't you want to smile?"

The tear that had been building feel to her cheek, as Kagome gave a small, soft smile, feeling happiness once more burst in her heart. As the sakura petals fell all around them, shielding them from the world and cruel reality, Inuyasha took her in his arms, and kissed her once more. And throwing away all cares, the geisha kissed the man who had walked in to her life and changed her so much. The man that had saved her from a path that trapped so many others that she knew. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she pulled him closer, sealing the bond that would likely be their downfall.

It didn't matter that he was a delivery boy and she was a geisha. It didn't matter that this would eventually end. For now, they were together, and were content.

For now, and for as long as this would last, they were happy.

And happiness was all that mattered for now. The future was to be worried about tomorrow, while today was to rejoice when Kagome realized she had finally found what she had been searching for.

And so, as the petals fell, so did The Sakura Blossom of Tokyo begin her fall from one of the famous geisha of Shinbashi, to a person forgotten from the pages of history.


	14. Bliss

A/N: Yes, I KNOW the chapter is a couple of days late, but give me a break! I've been sick with the flu all week. A really bad virus of it, I may add, since I was throwing up and sleeping for 20 hours a day, and STILL am unable to talk.

/ahem/ Yes, but enough of that. I gave you a looong chapter to make up for it, didn't I?

Anyway, please forgive me if the _scene_ in the chapter sucks. I went a little bit farther this time, since this has an M rating and I wanted to experiment going a bit deeper in to these sorts of things, but I think this is as far as I will EVER go. Meh, despite the fact that I have no problem talking dirty in real life, I'm not comfortable writing this stuff in public domain.

Oh, and since today (well, YESTERDAY, technically, since it's past midnight) was Talk Like A Pirate Day, then I shall observe it by giving you guys a little hint about my next Inuyasha fanfic: Pirates will be in it! Though, I'm still working on the technicalities of the plot, so don't ask me. I'll come when this story ends--Winter 2007. :D

I anticipate next chapter to be on time, but you never know. If I end up going to the hospital for this, maybe not. But, I doubt it, since I can eat things now. :/

* * *

**Chapter 14: Bliss**

With the Summer Dances drawing nearer, rehearsals took up much of Kagome's time. Almost every morning, she, and many other geisha across Shinbashi district took the familiar path to the large theater at the very heart of the district, to practice the dance steps over and over until they were all sure they could do them in their sleep.

While all the teachers began to crack down upon their students, making sure their steps and expressions were just right, the geisha who had been Kagome's singing teacher for years noticed a dramatic change in the way she danced and sung.

It was as if the glum that had plagued Kagome before had vanished, for she now was all smiles and happiness. When she sung of the tragic maiden, her words seemed to expand with joy and she told of how much the woman loved her lover, the wind. It was as if she had opened her heart to the music, and poured out her entire soul in to its words.

When she danced, her steps were much brighter and happier than the rest. Though geisha were taught to keep their face as stoic as a mask, Kagome found a hard time keeping that mask in place, when it was as if her own very being emanated happiness.

It was something that amazed the other geisha, particularly her geisha sister, Sango. How was it, that after Kagome had been so upset before, that she could now turn around and be so cheerful. The Sakura Blossom of Tokyo went to rehearsals humming American jazz, laughing when something beautiful caught her eye, and never was a smile not on her face.

"I don't understand it at all," Sango spoke to her patron, Miroku, that night as she sat with him in his apartment. "She seemed so upset after she had been discovered around that man and ordered not to see him again, but now, she seems much happier."

"Well, you woman _do _usually have your odd mood swings—"

"It's not _that_, Houshi-san!" Sango cut him off sharply, before looking up to the ceiling and sighing, clearly stumped. "But that doesn't explain what it could be. I don't think I've seen her this happy since…" She stopped, remembering the last time she saw Kagome this happy, was right after she had spotted her geisha sister with Inuyasha!

Miroku raised an eyebrow, curious of her sudden pause, "Sango?"

The geisha shook her head. _It can't be _that! _Kagome isn't that stupid…she wouldn't risk her career and getting thrown out of the __okiya__, would she? _"Nothing, Houshi-san…just a thought that doesn't matter."

Folding his arms, her patron tried to think of a logical explanation that would put Sango's worry to rest. "Ookami-san is out of town, right? You always said she wasn't happy with him, so perhaps she is happier now that he is gone, and hasn't yet come back."

"He is late," Sango corrected. "By about a week, but I didn't dare tell Kagome that—it might dampen her mood." _That is odd, though…__Kouga__-san usually wants nothing more than to see Kagome._

"That must be the only explanation," Miroku spoke up. "Her patron is out of town, and now he is late coming back, so perhaps she is happier with him being gone for longer than he said, allowing her a bit more time of freedom."

Sango resigned herself, putting away the more troubling thoughts. "Yes, that must be it. There can be no other explanation."

There was silence in the room for a moment, as Sango's eyes wandered absently over towards the radio, that was still waiting for the radio network to be put in place. But after a minute of silence passed, as Sango told herself over and over that she was worrying for nothing, her patron spoke out of the blue, "So, if I was to go away, dear Sango, would you be as happy as Kagome is now? Or would you weep tears of longing until I returned."

The question caught her so off guard, that she stared back at his face, sporting an impish grin, for a long minute before sputtering, "I would laugh until the day you came back, and cry afterwards!"

"Your face is bright red, Sango," Miroku joked, "Are you sure you wouldn't miss me?"

"Not even a little bit!"

Though she denied him, over and over, her patron saw the small, innocent blush in her cheeks. Grinning, he turned away, knowing it was only a matter of time…

* * *

"Inuyasha, do you ever think about the future?" 

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean…you're probably not going to be a delivery boy forever. So, someday, what would you like to do?"

The hanyou sighed in thought. They were back in the little room he rented above Toutousai's studio, where they often went to talk after she snuck out of engagements to be with him.

Ever since they had given in on the sakura bridge, their relationship had been hidden, a secret that no one else knew. When they were together, it didn't matter what their lives were like, or the eventual consequences of their actions. They were together, and that was all that mattered.

It took Inuyasha a few minutes to come up with a response. "Well…I _don't _want to do this forever…but what I want to do, I don't know. Don't get me wrong, I'm not like Sesshoumaru and them, but…I think it would be nice, to own a small business."

"Really?" she said in surprise, unconsciously leaning closer to him as he told her of his dreams. "What kind of business?"

"I don't really know," he replied, shrugging. "But the thought of it is nice…" _Wondering what it would have been like if I met you in __the are__ supposed to meet men, not like this…_

Kagome nodded in agreement, "It does sound nice, but if you don't know exactly what type of business you want to run, then how can you ever get the chance to do it?"

"I think I'll just wait and see what opportunity comes by. It's worked for me before."

_True, _she thought, her eyes on him as he looked out of the window, towards the sky dotted with stars. _Sometimes things happen without ever planning for them, _Remembering their first meeting, the thought, _And__ that does work out for the better. _

But reminiscing on their relationship, Kagome couldn't help but wonder where they stood now. She went over to his apartment frequently after leaving parties, to sneak back in to the okiya when it was late and Rin had fallen asleep at the door, waiting for her to come home as Tsubaki had commanded. But when she went over to his apartment…all they did was talk. Perhaps a few kisses, but…nothing more than that.

At first, that was what she wanted, but now…she couldn't help but want more. She had never really experienced this feeling before…this longing for a man's body when usually she looked upon the act with revulsion. Men like Kouga and all the others had craved it from her, but now, she was the one left wanting.

She wanted to be with him, to have his body entwined with hers, to have him complete her where Kouga could not. Yet, she wondered why Inuyasha was so reluctant when she was so willing.

Was it because of her geisha profession, that he thought it would offend her, after her forced relationship with Kouga? Or was he more interested in taking their relationship slow, not realizing they didn't have that much time?

Kagome knew their time would be cut short soon. Kouga was already a week late from when he said he would come back, and even though this made her happier, he could walk back in to her life any day. Why was Inuyasha taking so much time, when Kagome knew they did not have the time to spare if this was all she was to have out of her entire life.

Sighing, Kagome looked up towards the ceiling in thought. _He doesn't understand that I want more, and soon, because we do not have that time to waste._

_I don't want to be handed back to __Kouga__ before I have known what it is like to be with a man of my own choosing instead of one who bought me._

* * *

The next morning, Kagome found a note slipped in to her delivery of cosmetics. _Come meet me at the studio next Saturday. I have a surprise for you. _Inuyasha had said. And so, after two days of careful planning, Kagome was able to sneak away early that afternoon to make her way across Tokyo to Toutousai's photography studio. 

Kagome was still wearing a fancy kimono, as she had to leave a morning engagement to make it there, but she had been careful to wipe all the geisha makeup off her face, in hopes that without it, she wouldn't be recognized. Her hair was still piled atop her had, with the jade comb Kouga had given her once holding it in place.

She rang the bell in front of the studio, but was puzzled when no one came to answer. Curious, she pushed the door open, glancing in to the empty studio. No one was there, and Toutousai's equipment looked relatively untouched for the day.

Walking in to the studio, she called, "Inuyasha?"

She heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Looking towards the back of the studio, she saw Inuyasha appearing from the bottom of the stairs. Was she mistaken, or did he look really happy. "You came…"

Wondering what it could be that made him look so thrilled, she said cautiously, "Yes, you said you have a surprise for me."

"Yeah, come on up, I've got it up here…You're really going to love this."

Still puzzled, she followed him anyway, asking him a question before she ascended the stairs. "Where's Toutousai-san?"

"He's gone; went to Osaka on a business trip. Anyway," he spoke, opening the door to the little room in the attic, look there."

In the center of his room was a large, flat box, looking as if it had been opened previously. "Inuyasha?" she questioned, as she approached it, wondering what on earth it could be.

"Open it," he urged, and anxious to see what it was, Kagome kneeled down and carefully removed the top half of the box, looking down inside with wide eyes.

"Inuyasha!" she gasped, one hand clasping over her mouth. "Is it really…" Inside the box was something she had never expected to see presented to her; western clothes. Lying in the box was a lovely dress made of a floaty, light pink material that would hug to her skin, with a higher hem, like all western clothes. The box also contained a pair of white gloves, as many women wore in the west, along with a fancy had that would sit upon her head at a jaunty angle, and shoes with a heel that made her wonder how she would walk in it.

Kagome hadn't spoken, and Inuyasha asked nervously, "Do you…like it?"

It took her a few seconds to speak, "I love it…" Nothing else could have complimented her obsession with America in such a way. But she had to wonder…Western clothes were expensive, so how… "Inuyasha, where did you get this?"

She turned, and he could see the gratitude lying within her brown eyes. Blushing ever so slightly, the hanyou folded his arms and said, "Well, you know…the policy is that if the customer doesn't want it, and if the company won't accept returns, I get to keep it. I know it sounds like its second hand, but I thought it—"

"Inuyasha," Kagome lifted up the dress, holding it against herself to see how it would fit, not being able to wait until she wore it for the first time. "Thank you."

He didn't know what to say to that; but he did stop babbling on about the technicalities of how he got it. "Do you…want to try it on?"

She looked a little surprised by his comment, and he finished, "I mean…I was wondering if you wanted to go downtown, and you could wear that, and…"

Kagome couldn't help but feel even happier now. Being able to go around Tokyo, dressed in western clothes, with Inuyasha at her side was like a dream come true. She nodded silently, and, awkwardly, Inuyasha stared for a moment, before leaving the room quickly, shutting the door so she could change.

He had left her so abruptly, that it left her wondering if he was trying to make sure she wouldn't see any implications from his actions. Shaking her head at his behavior, she tried to dress herself in the clothes, finding it odd that she had to step in to the dress as opposed to wrapping it around herself like normal kimonos.

It was an unusual experience, wearing a hem this short and feeling as if her arms and legs were totally exposed. But it couldn't be helped. As she reached up to put the hat upon her head, she didn't notice the jade comb being jostled out of her hair, falling down to land between a crack in the floorboards, unseen. She wouldn't even notice it when it was gone.

The shoes seemed like torture, but after some of her rigid geisha training, including times when her hands bled after hours of playing the shamisen, it was nothing she couldn't handle. The only problem she had with the outfit was the buttons it was fastened with. There were a few she couldn't reach on her back, and, embarrassed, she knew she would have to ask for help.

Taking the hat off her head where it had been resting upon the elegant bun she had still from her geisha outfit, she went over to the door and opened it. "Inuyasha?"

He had been waiting at the door, his back turned as if just staring at it would make him see. He turned to her, and as the door opened, his eyes widened as well, taking it all in. "You look…you look…"

He didn't finish, disappointing Kagome somewhat, but nonetheless, she said, "Inuyasha…I…I need a little help. I can't reach the last buttons.

His face instantly flushed. "Oh…um…" He didn't finish, but walked over to her side, looking at the trail of buttons on her back, the last few undone and revealing the bare skin of her back to him.

Without another word, he helped her out, as she stood, frozen. Gently, softly, she could feel his fingertips brush against her bare skin as he fastened the last couple of buttons, a moment that she didn't know was slow torture for him as well. The moment seemed to last into eternity, as Kagome stiffened, feeling his fingers slightly brush against the back of her neck…

And then the last button was done, and both were left to snap out of the moment that had their hearts beating and heads swimming. "Uh, we should get going, to go somewhere before it gets too late…" Inuyasha said quickly, his eyes determinedly looking away from her.

Kagome nodded, still caught up in the moment, before snapping herself out of it, and quickly grabbing her hat and putting it back on her head. "Right…"

She was left to follow him out of the studio, wondering why the moment didn't last any longer, when it clearly could have been so much more.

* * *

Downtown Tokyo was as Kagome had never seen it before, as she now had the liberty to walk with Inuyasha wherever they pleased. She passed things she would have never seen in Shinbashi District; bars, dance halls, movie theaters, restaurants…and she fully came to realize how much larger of a place Tokyo was; something she never really noticed while confined within the tight world of the Shinbashi District. 

"So, where do you want to go?" Inuyasha asked, but his question was answered as they passed a movie theater and Kagome gasped.

"They have a the new John Gilbert and Clara Bow movie!" she said in amazement. "I didn't think…I was sure it would be out for at least another couple of months!" Kagome smiled widely, and turned her smile upon him. "Inuyasha, can we?"

The hanyou looked up at the movie poster in digest, blowing out a large puff of smoke from the cigarette that had been in his mouth. "Fuck if I'm going to see one of those lovely-dovey movies! How can anyone stand this shit?" Romance movies sounded so fake and cheesy to him, especially ones like this where everything was so clearly acted, it was worse than noh theater.

Kagome was disappointed, but she knew she didn't want to feel guilty later by dragging him to something he didn't want to see. She looked over, and saw the other showing in the theater was for a new Douglas Fairbanks movie, called _The __Theif__ of Bagdad. _ "Do you like Douglas Fairbanks movies?" she asked, pointing to the poster that showed a man floating above a persian city on a magic carpet.

Taking the cigarette out of his mouth, Inuyasha replied, "Well, I guess…_Robin Hood _wasn't so bad…"

"That was my favorite!" Kagome said in glee, "But this one probably won't be as good—"

"Never know until you see it," Inuyasha piped up, and soon, they found themselves in the dark theater, watching the silent film that recently had the words translated in to Japanese, yet sill holding all the action and suspense that it would have held in the English version.

The story was about a poor thief in the ancient city of Bagdad, who fell in love with the princess, yet they knew their love was forbidden. Kagome couldn't help but wonder if it was a bad idea to bring Inuyasha to a movie like this, another reminder of what they were risking with this relationship.

Thankfully, the number of action scenes that were always promised in Douglas Fairbanks movies were able to make up for that the plot was lacking. Near the end of the movie, Kagome was satisfied, but still a bit unsettled that the romance plot had hit a bit too close to home.

Once the movie was finished and they walked back out in to the sun that seemed blinding, Inuyasha asked, "So, did you like it?"

Deciding to refrain from mentioning the main plot of the movie, she said, "It was all right, but I think I liked _Robin Hood _better."

"Keh," Inuyasha said with a slight grin. "Yeah, that one was the best."

They talked about that movie for a while, before they decided it was time to eat dinner. Inuyasha took her to a small noodle restaurant, unlike anything she had been to before. The food was surprisingly good, and Kagome couldn't help but savor it as they ate in silence, before Inuyasha tried to spark some conversation. "So…how is the rehearsals for the festival going?"

Her eyes immediately met his. _Why did he bring that up? _"They're going well."

"Really?"

"Yes…I don't think I've made one mistake at all recently…I know it all by heart."

"Good." There was another silence as Kagome swirled around the noodle soup with her chopsticks for a moment, feeling uncomfortable. The discomfort was made even worse when Inuyasha said, "I wish I could see it."

_You'd…really want to see it, __Inuyasha_"Yes…that would be nice." She hated this, talking about her career, when she knew it was uncomfortable for both of them. They both knew eventually this relationship in the shadows would end, and talking about her career as a geisha only seemed to make that feeling worse. It was horrible for her to think that even though she could escape and get away to his world, he could never go to hers.

They lived two separate lives, and for now, there was no way for them to ever have anything that would last.

_Once __Kouga__ comes back, it will be all over. I will have a few special memories shared with __Inuyasha__, but…not enough. I don't want to go back to __Kouga__ with regrets and thoughts of what could have been, but I…_

* * *

"It's late," Inuyasha said, as they came back to the studio just as darkness was starting to fall. 

"Yes," she said softly, knowing what must come.

"I guess that means…you have to go back." The hanyou turned away for a moment, and was it Kagome's imagination, or did his face look as if he _wanted _her to stay for once. Yet for some reason, he was holding himself back.

Trying to get his mind off it, Kagome's eyes caught Toutousai's camera. An idea came to her. "Inuyasha…do you know how to work that?"

Wondering what could have gotten in to her head, he nevertheless answered, "Well…sort of…"

"Do you think you could take a picture of me?"

"_What?"_

She was never more sure of herself as she spoke, "Inuyasha, Toutousai has been taking countless pictures of me before, as a geisha. But…I've been thinking for a while, that I don't want to be remembered in pictures as _only _a geisha. I want to be remembered for who I am…what I wanted to be…and that is why I want you to take a picture of me as I am now, so that at least I know that not every picture of me will be of the one side of me that most see."

Though he didn't quite understand her motives, he did sympathize with her on her feeling of not wanting to be shown as a geisha through and through when there were so many layers to her personality. "Uh…okay."

While Inuyasha tinkered with the camera, Kagome lay down on the couch, imitating a pose she had seen the famous actress Clara Bow do in a picture in one of her American magazines. While Japanese women were taught to look stoic, Kagome defied that notion by leaning against the arm of the couch in a sensual manner, with her mouth giving a small, sultry smile.

When Inuyasha looked back up at her, his amber eyes were wide as dinner plates for a moment (something that made Kagome internally smirk) before he turned away to press the flash. It was done.

"What do you think Toutousai is going to say when he sees _that_?" Inuyasha wondered, as Kagome stood up to join him, still smirking.

"I hope he thinks it's so incredible, that he sends it off to those places that have been asking for my photos," Kagome grinned. "You never know, it might end up in a magazine or someone's private collection someday!"

Inuyasha smirked for a minute, but soon, the smirk slid off his face. "It _is _late…and you still need to get back to your okiya."

Kagome felt her heart sink in her chest, realizing he wasn't going to ask her to stay no matter how hard she tried. "Yes…that would be best."

She went back upstairs to change, fully prepared to dress once more as a geisha and go back to the okiya. Back to the life she loathed, and away from the man she knew she loved.

He was about to leave her alone again, but Kagome remembered, "Wait, Inuyasha…I can't get these buttons…"

Inuyasha stopped in the doorway. "Oh…" He came back to her, pausing a moment before beginning to help her with the buttons she couldn't reach. Once again, the moment was mesmerizing as his fingers gently undid button by button, undressing her with the tender caress of a lover. Inuyasha knew he could hardly control himself, when her skin was so soft, and inviting. She didn't stop him as he dared to venture more, gently bringing his finger down to lightly touch the soft skin of her back. When her breathing became heavier as he neared the nape of her neck, he could stand it no longer.

Face red, he stopped what he was doing and sputtered, "I…I have to leave—"

Kagome knew her chance, she wasn't going to let him get away now. Just as he passed her, she stuck her foot out, tripping him perfectly. The hanyou who was usually so coordinated, but now was too distracted, lost his balance and fell, landing perfectly on his back upon the futon.

Falling on his back _hurt_, so when Inuyasha finally opened his eyes after recovering from that small burst of pain, he was hit with another shock. Kagome was now hovering over him on all fours, the dress that he had loosened was now slipping down her shoulders, the tops of her breats peeking out through the neckline.

His face flushed faster than she had ever seen it. "K-Kagome…what are you—"

A finger on his lips halted any more protest. "Don't," she whispered, her voice raw with passion. "Don't you say anything…I need this Inuyasha, and don't you dare tell me that you don't need this too."

His silence was all she needed to confirm what she already knew. Yet, he couldn't give in that easily. "Kagome, are you sure…?"

Though her eyes sparkled in desire, they were serious in their words. "I have never been more sure of anything in my life, Inuyasha…I have been with so many others, men who bought me, but I never chose! Please, I don't care if it is just one night, but please, hold me as the one man I want…" Her lips hovered over his as she nearly felt tears in her eyes. _The one man I need…_

The kiss was met as Inuyasha pulled her closer, meeting her need for passion. Their kiss was that of lovers desperate for their one night. It wasn't long before the need totally spilled over, and they found themselves entwined in the embrace of love that was old as time.

For Kagome, it was a totally new experience. It wasn't a job or duty. It was making love with the man she had wanted. She wasn't the stiff board she usually was when men took their pleasure, she could only respond and feel everything as she was supposed to feel. Inuyasha made her feel like she was loved when he kissed her, touched her, so when she lay in his arms after their passion had been met, and they were exhausted from each other, she knew he had shown her how much he loved her though his actions, not used her as an object of pleasure.

It was as if her geisha life had never happened, and it was her first time with a man of her choosing. As Kagome lay, wrapped in his arms, blissful, and near slumber, she couldn't help but think, _This…__is heaven. If I had never met you that day, __Inuyasha__, I would have never known what this was like—to love and feel this love like a normal woman._

_Thank you for this feeling, __Inuyasha__, even if it won't last…_


	15. The Affair

A/N: Well, I did find out what was wrong with me. I had a throat infection, which is getting cleared up by the day. However, when I went home for the weekend to recover, I was subjected to a family that was all sick with colds, so alas, I now have a cold myself.

My luck really sucks. D;

Anyway, just to clarify, there was no attempt at an uprising at this time as far as I heard of, however, people WERE angry at the rather...sissy foreign policy that Emperor Taisho had at this time, including his decision to lessen the military, which was Japan's greatest strength until then. However, Emperor Taisho died in 1926 and the next emperor decided to focus on the military as a strong point, and thus you get the militarism of the 1930's which eventually led to the Japanese Involvement in WWII.

Bet if they knew what would happen because of the increased military strength later on, they wouldn't have argued against decreasing the military, huh?

* * *

**Chapter 15: The Affair**

"Are you sure of this?" Bankotsu asked as he met with his master late at night, the only illumination in the dark bar coming from a single candle on the rough wooden table. Bankotsu's eyes glanced across the layout of the city, crudely drawn, but accurate enough. "There can be no mistake—"

"There _is _no mistake, Bankotsu," the man opposite him spoke, only the outline of his face seen in the darkness. "I made sure it was correct _personally._"

"Fine, but even still, this is a great risk I am taking for you, Naraku," Bankotsu replied. "My men and I only have so many bombs to spare—"

The man across from him gave a laugh. "Surely you can manufacture a few more, based off the ones left over from the Great War? I need more than a handful of gunpowder, Bankotsu."

Bankotsu slammed his fist down upon the table. "That's the point! There is no more than that! With Emperor Taisho downscaling on the military and focusing more on the academies, there is nothing for us to use in this little coup. You have lived too long, become too senile in your centuries-old age, you forget; this isn't like the revolution. You can't just fight your way in the world anymore, we have to fit in, instead."

"I will make my _own _way, with or without you, Bankotsu. You, human, were not here in the old days, when all you needed was brute strength to make your place in this world. Now, after the revolution, things are more about 'equality' and 'freedom', to make this world, 'a better place'. Ha! This world is no better than the last. I have tried living this way, but I cannot any longer. Only when the youkai rule again will people remember it is better to have a strong ruler, instead of one that is frightened at the very prospect of conquest."

Bankotsu sighed, placing his head in his hands for a moment, lost in thought. "Naraku-san," he spoke softly, lifting his head to look back at him. "I only support you in your rebellion for the sake of reviving the mercenary trade, but the way you are going about it, I don't think you can win."

"That is your opinion," Naraku came closer in to the light, revealing his cruel maroon eyes. "But it is not mine. Men all over the country complain about the failings of Emperor Taisho. Now, that we have the opportunity, I suggest we take it."

"And what if we fail?"

Naraku did something that surprised Bankotsu; he shrugged. "And so we fail. However, I do not think we will fall so easily. We have what the guards of the emperor do not; the will to fight for what we desire."

"I do not think—"

"Think what you like Banktosu, but remember this; we will _not _turn our backs and run away because we are afraid. On the promised day, we will rise up, and all that you know of this 'Tokyo' will be burned to ashes. The old rule of the Shoguns will return, and I promise you, _never again _will we be forced to live under such a weak ruler. The rule of youkai will return, and you will see a new era forged from what little is left of the old."

* * *

The night that Kagome spent with Inuyasha was one of the happiest nights of her life. The one night where she had allowed herself the right to choose as a normal woman, instead of being forced with a man who had bought her services. It was the one night she could be content with, if everything fell apart in the end, but she didn't have to worry. 

After that first, wonderful night, she had no fears of being discovered. Geisha had to work late hours in to the night, and so, were late risers in the morning as well. Kagome had known this for years, and it had been to her advantage to be an early riser whenever she fancied sneaking out of the okiya for something in the morning. After years and years of improving a technique for leaving the okiya and sneaking back in, it was a piece of cake to leave Inuyasha early and go back in through her window, leaving everyone none the wiser.

It also helped that Rin, the maid who was to stay up by the door and let the geisha in when they came back, always fell asleep. If Kagome claimed she came back once Rin was asleep, who could say anything otherwise?

But, that didn't mean she wasn't just a little bit nervous about having gotten caught. She tried to remind herself there was no reason at all for her to have gotten caught last night, yet, the small fear was implanted in her mind, and she couldn't help but feel it.

She lay down on her futon and pretended to sleep, but she was hardly tired. Somehow, after spending that night with Inuyasha, she didn't want to sleep unless it was within his arms.

It was a terrible feeling when she woke up early that morning and realized she would have to leave Inuyasha's side. How much she wished that she held the life of a normal woman and could lay by his side for as long as she wanted, but alas, it was not her fate. It was one of the hardships of keeping this relationship secret; it also meant her time to be with him had to be limited in order not to arouse suspicion.

And so, soon after he, too, opened his eyes from slumber, they only had time for a quick kiss and caress before she had to hurry back through the early morning streets of Tokyo to make her way back to her okiya before anyone else was awake. The maids may be up and see her, but what did she care? They were quite used to her sneaking off at nightfall and returning later on, and they had never told Tsubaki before.

Now that she was here, it seemed she had arrived early enough before she could be found out of bed.

Back in her own bed, she seemed so cold now that she was not in Inuyasha's arms. He had held her all night, and now, without his presence, she seemed to be lacking something. She gently touched the other side of her small pillow, imagining him smiling beside her as he had when they awoke.

_I knew it would be like this, _she told herself, closing her eyes once more. _I knew it would be hard like this, but…for what little times we are together, it is worth it._

Kagome had just barely drifted off in to sleep once more, dreaming of Inuyasha's gentle kisses and soft touch, before she was awoken abruptly by the door of her room sliding open.

"Kagome-chan?" a surprised voice said.

Her eyes opened, and she glanced in the direction of the voice. It was Sango, dressed in her sleeping robe, looking as if she had just gotten up. Upon seeing her friend wake up from sleep, she gave a small laugh. "You're asleep at this hour? You're usually up before me!"

Sitting up, Kagome gave a small yawn, not remembering when she had fallen asleep in her own bed. "I guess practices for the Summer Festival are wearing me out, Sango-chan."

When Kagome sat up, her friend looked even more surprised. "Did you come back so late that you fell asleep in your kimono?"

Gasping, Kagome looked down in horror, to see that she was indeed still wearing the kimono she had worn to Inuyasha's the day before. She mentally cursed herself for not remembering to change in to a sleeping robe once she got back in to her room earlier. Thinking quickly, she spoke, "Yes…the engagement I was at ran so late, that Rin was even asleep when I came back. I just barely wiped off all my makeup and pulled my hair down before I went to bed, to exhausted to do any more."

Sango seemed to accept her story, and Kagome gave a small, relieved sigh, knowing that she had also effectively explained why her obi looked so rumpled, after she tried to re-tie it at Inuyasha's with little success at re-creating the elaborate knot.

"Still, you had better hope that the maids take care of it before Okaa-san sees it—she'd kill you for those wrinkles."

"Yeah…" Kagome gave a nervous laugh, the idea of Mother Tsubaki punishing her severely the last thing she wanted to bring up.

"Oh, and by the way," Sango said, as if she just remembered, "You just received a letter from Kouga-san."

Kagome gasped, "_Kouga_?" her heart racing at the very mention of her patron, whom she had quite forgotten. She took the letter from Sango with a shaking hand, fearful of its contents. What if he said he was coming back? What if somehow the fact that she had been publicly seen with Inuyasha had gotten to him? What if he was dropping her as a geisha and she had nothing left to support herself but on the courtesy of the okiya?

Careful not to seem too afraid in front of Sango, she slid the letter open and glanced at it for a few seconds. After about a minute, the fast tempo her heart was beating at slowed. _Thank Goodness…_

"What is it?" her friend asked.

"He's going to be in Kyoto for a while," Kagome explained, suddenly feeling much happier. "He writes to say he is sorry that he didn't write sooner, but he's having problems with his wife, and one of his children got sick, so now he wants to stay until his child is well."

Sango paused a moment. "And the relationship with his wife?"

"He doesn't say," replied Kagome, self assured. "But I know him. He says his wife is going to Osaka to visit her sister. He will probably try to make up with her once she comes back, even if he doesn't want to tell me about it."

"So this means…"

"He'll probably be gone until fall," Kagome couldn't help but smile. Kouga was going to be gone until fall! That meant that she would have the last month and a half of summer to be with Inuyasha!

"Well, that's good news, for you at least," Sango knew about how Kagome felt serving Kouga as his geisha mistress. "Okaa-san won't be happy, though. She keeps muttering about all the money lost with Kouga in Kyoto."

Sango turned to lead the way downstairs so they could get some breakfast, and Kagome followed, replying, "Well, Okaa-san will have to learn to live with disappointment," not at all implying what her friend had meant.

Even if her relationship with Inuyasha was never found out, Kagome knew she could never be the mindless geisha Tsubaki wanted her to be, ever again.

Even when the secret affair she had with Inuyasha fell to pieces, she had been changed too much to go completely back to her former life.

* * *

It was an interesting sight, to say the least, when the geisha of Shinbashi saw a nobly dressed woman and someone else who appeared to be her maid riding around the district in a rented rickshaw. What was even more interesting was that the woman seemed to be of _youkai_ blood, with flaming red hair and brilliant green eyes, and the pointed ears that distinguished her as not human. While some wondered at this odd sight, others shrugged it off as perhaps a rich woman wanting to build her own teahouse in the district or some such. 

But Ayame was not here for sightseeing. Ever since she had found the bill that told her she was second in Kouga's heart to a geisha in the Shinbashi district, she couldn't help but become jealous and obsessed with the idea of seeing this geisha who had so entrapped her husband.

She found a chance when she heard her sister was to be having a baby soon, and told Kouga she was going to Osaka for a week to visit her sister before the baby was born. She went to Osaka for one night to visit with her family, and then went on to Tokyo instead. Now she was here, in the Shinbashi district, looking for the Tsubaki Okiya where this Higurashi Kagome lived.

"Keep your eyes sharp, Sara," Ayame told her maid. "They say the mother of that okiya has a dreadful scar on her eye."

"Yes, Mistress," her maid said without hesitation as the driver took them on in to the heart of the district. "But couldn't we just ask for the address?"

The wolf youkai looked horrified at the prospect. "No, I do not want anything at all that could get back to Kouga that I was here. We can find this woman on our own."

However, Shinbashi District was much larger that Ayame originally thought. There were geisha and teahouses everywhere! She thought no geisha district could be as large as Gion, but Shinbashi was certainly putting up a good fight for the title.

Half the day went by of driving around the dirt streets, with Ayame muttering about how she couldn't understand why Kouga liked such a dirty crowded city, until at last, it was getting time to admit defeat and ask for directions.

But then, it seemed, she came upon a stroke of luck.

As the driver stopped to take a momentary rest from pulling the rickshaw, Ayame's sharp youkai ears picked up the sound of a man, saying, "Come on, Kagome, don't tell me that you don't like this."

Her head instantly swiveled towards a small alleyway nearby. 'Kagome' couldn't be that common of a name…Without a second thought, Ayame rose from the cart, heading for the opening to the alleyway.

"Mistress?" Sara asked, following her.

"Shhh," Ayame ordered, as she looked down the alley. There, she was met with something that surprised her. She saw someone who, while wearing their hair down with no makeup at all on their face, wore a low neckline upon the pretty, green colored kimono, clearly a geisha. What shocked her was the fact that this geisha, no doubt the famous Higurashi Kagome, was in the arms of another man!

"Inuyasha, please, I've got to get to the bathhouse," she half-laughed, only slightly struggling to get out of his arms as he pulled her closer.

This Inuyasha was no doubt a hanyou, by the dog ears on his head, and Ayame knew enough of hanyous to know there was no way he would ever be as high up in society as Kouga. But…why would a geisha of her status risk her reputation to be with a man that had nothing to his name?

Inuyasha grinned, "You can always come back to my place; there's a bathhouse nearby…we could go _together_…"

Kagome playfully slapped him across the chest. "You're worse than Miorku-san."

"Am I?" he laughed. "I doubt it. He's just been too busy trying to woo your friend instead of cracking his worst jokes. They would even make you _geisha _blush."

Even though the scene before her was scandalous, and she was handed the perfect way of revenging for her jealousy by destroying Higurashi Kagome's career, Ayame couldn't help but be fascinated. Was this how normal couples reacted? She had only seen men with wives who barely said a word, while diligently following his every order. Women she spoke to said their husbands treated them with disdain, never affection. Was this how it was among the lower classes, who were not expected to uphold any kind of social expectation?

"We'll see," the geisha gave a small laugh, finally relaxing in his arms.

"Can you come over tonight?" Inuyasha said, with a small bit of anticipation in his voice.

Kagome leaned against his strong chest, content to stay like this forever, instead of going back to the geisha life that she knew she would have to return to very soon. "Mmm, maybe. Remember, I was almost caught by that maid last time, so I want to be careful."

"Can you?"

The geisha gave a small, carefree laugh. "It depends. I'm supposed to entertain the American ambassador tonight. And you _know _how much I want to learn about America."

"Crazy wench," Inuyasha muttered, rolling his eyes. "But if you get the chance to sneak away?"

Kagome looked back up at him, giving him a soft, loving smile, "Then you know I'll be over there quicker than a flash."

And there, in the alleyway, right before Ayame's eyes, they kissed. It was like watching something out of those horrid American romance films, yet it was real. How was it, that they could be so comfortable with each other to kiss in broad daylight? She knew some women who said their husband's didn't even kiss them in the darkness and privacy of night…

"Let's go, Sara," Ayame whispered, as she turned away, leaving the happy couple behind. "Let's leave this district and go back to Osaka."

"Mistress?" her maid asked as they got back in the rickshaw.

Ayame sighed, feeling shameful. "It doesn't matter anymore, Sara. The girl does not love Kouga so I don't have to worry about her being my rival. Besides," she paused for a moment, before replying, "We are more alike than I thought. We both long for men we cannot truly have…she is no different than I."

The driver picked up the cart and began taking them out of Shinbashi, while the maid asked, "And the Master?"

"We'll go back to Kyoto after seeing my sister again," Ayame replied. "He doesn't need to know we came here."

Sara nodded, "Yes, mistress."

Ayame leaned back for the rest of the journey of the district, giving a soft sigh. _Higurashi__ Kagome, it seems I have no more reason to envy you._

_If anything, I feel sorry for you. When __Kouga__ eventually finds out…it won't be good for either of us. _


	16. The Summer Festival

A/N: Ugh, I'm beginning to realize as I talk to more and more people, and more people want to "hang out" with me, I'm having trouble getting these updates in.

Maybe it was better when I was anti-social and hated everyone. Now, I don't hate everyone, just most people in general who like to barge in my room and say stupid things when I am working. --

And you can blame the delay on the fact that I got a new book, and had to finish reading it before I did anything else. I should have saved my breath, tho...the ending was...less than I would have wanted.

* * *

**Chapter 16: The Summer Festival**

The Shinbashi district was alight that night with lanterns glowing from every corner. Whispers of excitement were caught on the air, as the minutes ticked down to the time everyone was waiting for; the beginning of the annual Shinbashi Summer Festival.

The geisha of Shinbashi had practiced and practiced for this awaited day, and now, some still went over the steps in the beautiful dance, a last rehearsal before the final performance. Many maiko scurried about the great Shinbashi theater, adjusting their hair and makeup, peeking out to see the sea of men seated in the audience, giggling in relish for their first performance. For the purpose of the festival was to enchant the rich men seated before them into purchasing a gesiah of their very own, from the many to pick. As everyone had known for a while, it was never about preserving an art; it was all about the final monetary objective gained at the end.

Kagome watched the maiko run around in nervousness, and remembered her own first performance in the Shinbashi summer festival. That night when she had danced, under the lights, and had first laid eyes upon the man who would become her mizuage patron. And two years ago, when she was given her first choral solo, when she met Kouga. It was that night he had decided to have her, and the night he claimed he fell in love with her as well.

Folding her arms in the long, draping kimono sleeves, Kagome leaned back against the wooden wall behind the stage, giving a small sigh. She didn't like thinking of Kouga right now. For even if she was determined to have her own way and not care at all about the man who was her patron, she still couldn't help but feel a small twinge of guilt whenever she betrayed him with another man.

Putting aside those thoughts of the rich man that loved her back in Kyoto, she thought of the other man that had now entered her life. Inuyasha sent her off with a small kiss that morning, telling her she would be wonderful, even if he couldn't stay around to watch.

Inuyasha was but a poor delivery boy, there was no room for him in the audience of wealthy military men and factory owners. Though it saddened her heart, Kagome knew he couldn't watch, even if he was the one person she was performing for that night.

Kagome hated the fact that her life as a geisha cut her off so much from him, the man she loved. They lived life in two different worlds; hers, the gilded life of glamour in the Shinbashi district, his, the rough but truthful life of a common man. While living in relative comfort and security was nice for Kagome, she knew which life she would have preferred, given a choice.

Looking up, her eyes gazed over the sea of women, fussing, practicing, gossiping, and for them, she was sad. _None of these women had a choice,_ she thought. _Not a single one of us…though we __all came to Shinbashi through different means, none of us were given the option of this life over the next._

_If we were given a choice, would any one of us be standing here, I wonder?_

"Kagome-chan!" Sango hissed, making Kagome turn and leave her musings behind. "Hurry up! We don't have much time until it begins!"

Knowing this was true, that she couldn't stand there all day while the show went on around her, Kagome followed her geisha sister to one side of the stage, where the rest of the geisha in their number were getting ready. All wore the painted mask upon their face; their hair done up in elaborate styles, with the gaudy performance kimono about them.

To her eyes, they all seemed so shallow, so driven by the geisha's life of performance, that they even acted in the simplest of conversations. They looked…almost silly, rather than elegant, fussing around, complaining of a simple flyaway hair when there were more important things in life.

_Do I look like them? _Kagome wondered, turning towards the mirror beside her. She had hardly looked at herself this way in a mirror for a while, and was nearly shocked to see herself indeed dressed up like a perfect china doll. White face, red lips, and the very picture of a geisha in her prime.

But there was one thing that distinguished her from the crowd of geisha fussing like prim peacocks; her eyes. Inuyasha had always told her that her eyes were different; while she could lie with a smile, her eyes always showed her true thoughts. And even here, when she looked at herself, it was as if her eyes clearly said she didn't want to be here, amongst the geisha who did not know of her struggles. She did not like this; she never did, and her eyes spoke the truth when she knew this life was not what she wanted anymore.

But what could she do? Shinbashi was the only place she had to go. Women could not get jobs outside being a geisha other than prostitution. Even if she wanted to leave all of Shinbashi behind, and live with Inuyasha, that was just a fantasy within a dream.

_Shinbashi is all I am destined for, even if I was granted small happiness for the time being with you, Inuyasha…_

But while Kagome lamented that her life thread would never fully entwine with that of her lover's, someone else knew something deep was on her mind. "Are you all right, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked, giving Kagome a strange look.

Kagome shook her head. "It's nothing, Sango-chan…just thoughts."

Her geisha sister had known her for years, and knew when something was going on. "What's bothering you, Kagome?" When the younger geisha didn't answer, Sango asked, "Is it because he can't come?"

"_What?" _Kagome asked in a small gasp. How could Sango know that she was upset that Inuyasha wouldn't be able to see her dance for him tonight?

But, thankfully, it was only a misunderstanding. "Kouga-san," her geisha sister asked. "Are you upset because he can't come here? Even if you claim to not enjoy his company as much as he enjoys yours, I do know that you wished he could be here."

True…before, she did wish Kouga could come to the dances, just to watch her perform the song for him in hopes that pleasing him enough would also please Mother Tsubaki. But now…she could care less about Kouga and if he came to watch her dance like a dancing doll.

But, there was no way Kagome could tell that to Sango. "Yes…I am upset because Kouga-san can't come," she spoke in almost a robotic way, but even that seemed to satisfy her sister. However, Kagome didn't notice when Sango turned to look back at her, surprised to see that the jade comb Kouga had given her was nowhere in sight, and surely, such an item would be worn on such a festive occasion…

There was no more time to talk as the festival began, as the maiko came out on stage to begin the first dance, while the full geisha hung back to watch. It was plain as day that while the younger girls were nervous, the choreographers of the dance had done their job marvelously in making them look as beautiful and as graceful as ever, highlighting their crimson collars to show off their state as chattel only to be bought.

And as the danced the dance of conception, highlighting the sensuous moves in the dance, many of the men before then became enchanted at once. Kagome was certain that by the end of the night, many deals would be made with geisha mothers, and yet another girl would be sold to a man she hardly knew, to begin her destiny as a mindless geisha, just he thing these rich men who abandoned their wives were looking for.

The dance was over soon, with the girls going in to a graceful dip behind their silk fan, getting a round of applause from the audience. Kagome could already see the men picking out which ones they liked, grinning apprehensively at the mere thought of their next geisha mistress before them. As the girls left the stage, she thought, _And there goes Shinbashi's next generation of geisha, the cycle that will continue until the end of time._

Knowing the steps in their dance by heart, Kagome didn't have to worry as she came on to the stage having no trouble at all remembering her position. The geisha waited for a moment, some with hearts pounding in fear, others smiling with excitement, and Kagome, who couldn't wait for this to be over, her face the only one that held the perfect mask of no emotion that all geisha had to wear.

At last, the curtain opened them, shining them in bright light. For a moment, she squinted, until Kagome could look around the audience without fear of blindness. In that brief moment, she recognized many men that she had met once or twice in teahouses, along with Miroku and the patrons of some of her geisha friends. It was only a split second before the music struck up in the geisha orchestra to the side, but in the split second, her eyes glanced over to the very left of the stage, where the crew sat working the lights. Her heart leapt, and her jaw dropped before everyone.

There, sitting next to the man working the lights, pretending to be a part of the theater as well, was Inuyasha. And he sat there with his eyes upon her, giving her a soft smile.

The music began. The other geisha started off with ease, knowing the dance by heart. But the geisha who had prided herself on memorizing all the steps perfectly in the dance of birth merely stood there, shocked to the core upon seeing her lover now, watching her in a place she would have never expected him to get in.

_Inuyasha? What are you doing here?_

But Kagome was not struck still in shock for long. Noticing that her friend had suddenly frozen up, Sango gave her sister a good whack with her elbow, hissing, "Kagome, the dance!"

Feeling ashamed of herself, Kagome brought herself out of her momentary shock, fitting in to the dance perfectly without any more problems. Cursing herself and still wondering how Inuyasha had been able to show up without anyone noticing or caring, she was thankful, at least, that she was in the farthest back row of this dance when she had been struck still.

The dance was completed without another incident; unlike young maiko who often made mistakes in their dances, these experienced geisha had surely gone over the steps until their toes ached, and not a single one of them forgot a move. When the music ended, Kagome wasn't the only one who gave a sigh of relief. When the applause sounded, she looked back to the crew area, and saw that Inuyasha was still there, clapping for only her.

She only had time to send him a small, thankful smile, before heading off the stage, Sango glancing over and seeing the hanyou down in the pit. _Inuyasha who works for Houshi-san? I wonder what _he _is doing here…_

There was a small intermission for Kagome and Sango, while the maiko danced the song of childhood, and while they needed to prepare for the song of love. The minute they were out of the audience's earshot, Sango demanded, "What _happened _out there, Kagome? You just froze in the middle of our performance!"

"I know, Sango-chan," Kagome sighed, still cursing herself that she had reacted so strongly to Inuyasha's presence. "I just…was nervous, is all."

"But you _never _get nervous!" her sister complained.

All Kagome could do was sigh, and speak, "You'd be surprised, Sango-chan."

There was nothing more the two geisha could say to each other, as Kagome had to head off in one direction to get ready for her solo, and Sango in the other to dress herself in the costume of the dancers for the dance of love.

As Kagome was helped in to the elegant kimono with the beautiful pattern of leaves in the wind, to go with the song about the woman who loved the wind, she reminded herself that no matter what happened, the man she loved was indeed in the audience that night. He had come to see her despite all obstacles. Looking down for a moment, she gave herself a secret smile, _I'm so glad you came, Inuyasha…_

Soon, it was time for her solo to begin. She was not up on stage like the other dancers, but she had a special place in front of the orchestra to go to as the dancers lined up on stage. From where she stood, spotlight on her, she could not see Inuyasha himself, but somehow, she knew he could see her.

Slowly, the flute and shamisen began, and with that, the words of the song. Kikyou danced beautifully on stage, portraying the tragic maiden's struggle with her love and the loss of her lover, but her dance would have been nothing without Kagome's beautiful words. When the song spoke of the maiden so much in love, Kagome's heart swelled, thinking of her times with Inuyasha.

And through the mystical connection with the power of the song, she knew he also knew she was thinking of him. Kagome filled her song with joy as Kikyou danced the happiness that the maiden knew, so much in love and all her days and nights filled with only him, the man who would only ever be hers.

But when the music began to tell a more tragic tale, of when the wind betrayed his lover and left her to go in another direction, Kagome imagined the sorrow she would feel when the day came when she and Inuyasha would have to part ways. The day was coming, and they both knew it, and so when she sang of the future sorrow, everyone could feel the despair in her voice.

At last, Kagome sung the final note in the song, Kikyou gave a final step, filled with out a hope, and the music stopped. The entire audience was filled with silence at the awe of the power of the song, until at last, applause slowly began, and escalated to full triumph. Everyone had loved it. But no one loved it more than Inuyasha.

Kagome could help but smile slightly as they applauded her, but looking back, she saw someone signal to her at the back of the theater. She didn't need to see the shining silver hair and dog ears to know who would be the only man to signal to her now. He left through the back door, and once she was back behind stage, she spared no time in finding her way out of the theater, hidden by the packs of maiko ready to go on again.

The night air hit her as the geisha left the theater, stunned by the silence outside. "Inuyasha?" she looked around, and saw him standing by a tree in the shadow of the theater.

He saw her coming, and smiled, "You were amazing tonight."

She couldn't help but give a small blush at his compliment. "Inuyasha, why did you come here?"

"I wanted to see you."

"But…"

"You've been talking about this for a while, Kagome," he said simply. "I wanted to see how you did."

"Oh…" It was so odd to Kagome that Inuyasha actually wanted to come and see her…she would have thought he wanted to stay away because she would be performing to men who were part of a world he didn't belong in. But the fact that he didn't care about that at all was even more shocking to her.

"It was a beautiful song," Inuyasha said softly, pulling her close to him. "Sung by an even more beautiful woman."

Kagome didn't even wait for him to make the first move this time. She threw her arms around his neck, and kissed the wonderful man that she had grown to love in so short of a time.

That night, as she lay entwined in his embrace, her head resting gently across his bare chest, she thought, snuggling closer with a smile. _I love you so much Inuyasha…and now I never want to let you go. _


	17. Slow Descent into Reality

A/N: Well, it seems I forgot to mention the wonderful fanart I have gotten on this story. Oops. D:

Anyway the first piece was this cute drawing of Inuyasha in his 1920's clothes by **XBlackRoseX909**:  
http:// xblackrosex909 . deviantart .com / art / Inuyasha - for - KitsunetheWriter - 58468854

And the second is this amazing piece of work from the end scene of chapter 13 by **false-angel:  
**http:// false-angel . deviantart . com / art / Fallen - Sakura - 65766205

I love fanart, so if you have any, please don't hesitate to send it in! Fanart makes Eowyn happy. :D

And now, to the story...

* * *

**Chapter 17: Slow Descent into Reality**

"One thing I've always wanted to do," Kagome spoke softly, her eyes on the ceiling of Inuyasha's small room as day broke slowly in the horizon, "Is travel the world by boat…to float upon the waves, being carried off to a new adventure, only the gentle waves knowing where I will go."

"Sail the seas, huh?" Inuyasha asked, one arm bent to support himself as he rolled over on his small futon to face her. "I dunno about that. I've lived for about two centuries, and never wanted to leave Japan."

Kagome turned back to her silver haired lover, giving him a questioning look, "You've never wanted to see what's out there? This country is small compared to the rest of the world; you never want to see the rest of it?"

"It doesn't really matter," the hanyou said at once. "I mean, I'm never going to get the chance to leave, so why bother thinking about it? Besides, Japan is probably the only country that tolerates my kind…the rest of the world have forgotten about us, when we used to be all over."

Sighing, Kagome knew she couldn't argue with him. "True…Besides, I probably will never leave here either…and I won't live as long as you."

_Unless Kouga has to go abroad…and then he will take me along, but I won't be able to see anything that I want to…He'll keep me locked up in a hotel somewhere in the world, not allowed to leave because he doesn't want anyone he has to meet to see his geisha mistress…it would be even worse going there and not being able to see rather than never going at all…_ Her thoughts turning foul, she rolled over for a moment, her eyes catching on the window, now giving small light as day broke. Soon, she would have to leave to get back to the okiya before she was discovered.

Inuyasha noticed her unease. "Hey, what is it?" he asked, his hand landing on her shoulder for a moment.

Kagome shook her head, not looking back at him. "Nothing…just some thoughts that I shouldn't think about right now."

But the hanyou wasn't fooled. "You were thinking about Kouga."

She whirled around, her eyes wide as she stared at him. "How did you—?"

"You always get like that when you think about him," muttered Inuyasha, "You don't look at me, and you say you don't want to talk about it, yet that doesn't keep you from thinking about it all the time."

_I knew it, _she thought, watching him carefully. _He doesn't like it when I think about Kouga. _

"Inuyasha," she began softly, leaning against him so that her head was pressed up against his bare shoulder. "I can't help but think about him sometimes…even though I resent it, he does, in a way, own me. He has paid for my servicing him for the past two years. Unless I were to give up everything, and throw away my life as I knew it, I have to serve him as he bids."

Inuyasha did not say anything, his golden eyes looking away. With another sigh, Kagome rolled over top of him, knowing he would have to listen in this position. "But the one I am here with now is _not _Kouga. Even knowing what would happen if I get caught—" Her arms came around him to pull him to her, as if he was her only lifeline holding her on. "I choose to be here, to be with you, Inuyasha."

"Kagome…" He looked surprised, shocked, and for a moment, as if he was trying to put something in to words. Kagome did not want to listen to any apology he had to say now. Instead, she finished it by leaning over to kiss him before he could protest. For only one second did the hanyou appear surprised, but then his strong arms moved around her, to hold her to him and tell her without words he was sorry for what he said.

But even if all things now could be made up with a quick kiss and touch, Kagome knew this wasn't the only time the hanyou was upset because she had inadvertently mentioned Kouga. She knew he was bothered by her geisha life, and the men she served there, but it was something she could not help.

She only hoped he could live with it enough so that it wouldn't interfere with their small affair. The last thing she wanted in this whirlwind relationship was a bad memory for the future.

_He will have to live with it, _she decided. _He knows I do not love any of them, and that is enough, right?_

* * *

Later that morning, Mother Tsubaki, Kikyou, and Sango were sitting around the table, eating silently while waiting for Kagome to come down the stairs. It was odd, to say the least, that the geisha who used to be such an early riser was now sleeping later and later. Sango checked in when she got up, and her geisha sister was sound asleep on her futon, as if she had hardly gotten any sleep the night before until then. 

"Is Kagome still fast asleep?" Kikyou asked, shooting a look at Sango.

Sango nodded at her older geisha sister. "She looked dead tired…the performance last night must have worn her out."

"Beauty and fame do not come without price," Tsubaki chimed, flipping through the paper. "You two should have taken her example; for weeks before the performance, she practiced for hours and hours, to make sure she had everything perfect."

"She needed that practice," Kikyou spoke curtly. "She is no natural when it comes to dance. Trying to train her the proper steps when she was a maiko was harder than I ever imagined."

"Kagome-chan does well enough for any geisha," Sango defended her sister, folding her arms in annoyance. "Her singing voice makes up for any failure she has in dance. And her shamisen skills aren't bad either."

"Her voice is going to make her one of the most famous geisha ever in Shinbashi," Tsubaki said with a gleeful laugh. Folding the paper out upon the table, she pointed to a small article. "Look there."

Just as Sango and Kikyou leaned over to look at the newspaper article, Kagome appeared at the bottom of the stairs, her long black hair disheveled and her sleeping robe wrinkled from what no one doubted was a heavy sleep.

Sango turned to her. "You're finally up, Kagome-chan. Were you tired?"

Her sister nodded. "Almost too tired," she said with a yawn. After looking around more clearly, she asked them all, "Is something going on; you're all staring at me."

"It's this article in the morning paper," Kikyou spoke up. "A review of the Summer Dances. They talk of you in it."

Kneeling down on the cushion next to the low table, Kagome asked, "Really? What do they say about me?"

"It says here that 'Higurashi Kagome of the Tsubaki okiya sung beautifully as always, her voice enchanting every man in the theater, but we are wondering where she was in the line of dancers by the third act'." Sango recited, sending an accusing look back over at her. She, too, had been wondering why Kagome had disappeared during the second half of the performance.

Tensing up, Kaogme hoped they didn't notice. She didn't think anyone would realize she left the performance early to be with Inuyasha! Thinking quickly, she spoke, "I was…in the toilet. I didn't feel well when that time came around, so I didn't go out to dance." It wasn't completely a lie—she didn't feel at her best yesterday, but it was because she loathed the Summer Dances and was nearly feeling sick with revulsion that the time for her performance had come.

"Did you stay there very late, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked again. "You didn't come home until after we were all asleep."

She nodded, "Yes, but I didn't stay there. I was…delirious, so I tried to come back here. Thankfully, a woman of a teahouse noticed me and brought me in, thinking it was best that I didn't continue in such a bad condition. I came back much later when I felt better."

Tsubaki shook her head with a sigh. "This isn't the first time you, or anyone has had to stay over at a teahouse due to drunkenness or some sort. I just hope they don't bill us for it…" Kikyou seemed to accept the story as well, turning back to her rice bowl.

However, Sango narrowed her eyes in suspicion. If Kagome was sick, she would have known. And one thing that stuck vividly in her memory was the shocked look on her sister's face as she looked down and saw Inuyasha next to the stage. And…come to think of it, Inuyasha was gone after she disappeared as well.

There was no proof, but…coincidences were coming closer and closer together, coincidences that could only lead to one conclusion…a conclusion that Sango hoped proved false. If not, there would be trouble for everyone in the okiya and Kagome, her precious geisha sister Kagome, her one true friend against this harsh life, would be destroyed, forever.

* * *

In the following weeks, Kagome became a lot more well known around Shinbashi then she had been previously. Men of all statures wanted to meet her and be served by the geisha known to have the loveliest voice in all of Tokyo. Summer was beginning to near it's end, and despite that it was the time she wanted to spend most with Inuyasha, all her time was taken up by eager clients that wanted to meet the famous Sakura Blossom of Tokyo. 

They were clients that she couldn't afford to walk out on. If she did, one would report to Tsubaki, and she would find herself spiraling down the inevitable path even faster than she was already.

While serving the former general to Japan's armies, Kagome laughed with the rest of the group at a lewd joke, looking over to see someone else in the next room of the teahouse. This man struck her with interest, as he looked wealthy, yet he sat with no geisha at his side. It was almost unheard of, a man sitting alone in a room in a teahouse, sipping sake with a sad, forlorn look on his face.

"Tsuyouri-san," Kagome leaned over and asked the tall geisha next to her. "Who is that man over there, in the next room?" she pointed to him.

Tsuyouri glanced and then said, "The mistress of the teahouse told me he used to come here with his geisha all the time…he must have loved her dearly because…"

"Because?"

Glancing back at the lonely man again, Tsuyouri continued, "You see, the geisha's name was Kara. And Kara-san…while he loved her, she loved another man, the second son of a doctor."

Kagome's heart sunk in her chest as she realized where the story of this geisha was going. "Her patron found out about the affair and was heartbroken. He cast her aside and said he never wanted to see her again. So now he comes here and drinks sake alone, grieving for her in his heart."

Kagome asked carefully, "And…Kara-san?"

"She lost her patron, but her mother kept her," Tsuyouri spoke quickly. "But once word of this gets out, it'll ruin her reputation, and she'll never get another job as a geisha."

"Of course," Kagome said without a waver in her voice. "It serves her right. Geisha do not have any freedom to love. Everyone knows that. If any geisha try to go past the sacred rule, their life is ruined. It is the way it has always been, and it is the way it always will be."

* * *

While Kagome was busier with engagements, Inuyasha tried to be supportive and understand. He tried to remind himself that she was a geisha, and had geisha obligations that came before him. 

But…after what they had shared, the relationship they had carved out of a life that didn't allow for such things, he thought that perhaps she might have cared for him enough to see him as often as she could. But now, engagements that she usually would have turned down for him were being taken up, and their time together was nearly put on hold as she sorted out the new fame she had gotten from her performance in the Summer Dances.

He couldn't help but feel annoyed about it. The most they saw each other in a few days was a small talk in a dark alley, a far cry from the lovely times they spent in his room above the studio almost daily right before the Summer Dances.

Kagome tried to explain it to him as she leaned against the brick wall, the little light in the alley reflecting off her elegant gold kimono she wore for a special party that night. "There's so many more people wanting to meet me now…if I want to continue with my career, I have no choice but…"

Inuyasha gave a small grunt, taking a small puff off the cigarette, the sickly sweet smoke billowing through the air. He couldn't think of anything to say as she tried to explain.

"But it's not like I don't want to see you, it's just…oh, enough of this!" she finally burst out, grabbing the cigarette from the hanyou's mouth. And, to his surprise, putting it in her own mouth and smoking it.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he demanded, staring at her. "I thought you said geisha didn't smoke!"

Breathing out and giving a small cough as well, she retaliated, "Oh be quiet, Inuyasha. They say that smoking is the best thing for stress, and I'm under a lot of stress right now—" She was cut off as she gave another cough, trying to breathe against the haze of the smoke.

"Give it back," Inuyasha grabbed the cigarette out of her hand, rolling his eyes as she continued to cough. "If you're not used to it, don't even try it. Besides," he muttered in a lower, harsher tone. "You wouldn't want to stain those pretty white teeth for all the men you entertain."

Kagome's brown eyes darted back to his face, but he didn't look angry, just…stressed, as she was. Both were beginning to feel the weight of the reality of the situation they were in.

But instead of continuing on the subject, Inuyasha asked, "Are you going to be able to come over at all?"

"I don't know," she gave a small sigh, "Tsubaki-kaa-san caught a maid stealing and trying to run away, and has now barred everyone from leaving the okiya except when we are supposed to…she'll probably check all the windows, too."

The hanyou rolled his eyes, "I see."

"But—" Kagome cut him off, "I can try."

Inuyasha tossed the cigarette butt on the ground, stepping on it with the heel of his shoe to put it out. "Fine." _I'm beginning to wonder if this is really all right with her, _he thought, noticing how she seemed nervous about sneaking out now when she had so casually dismissed it before.

_Though she says she cares for me, her career always comes first…But I can live with that. _

_For now. _


	18. Caught

A/N: Well, the third quarter nominations are in! **Fallen Sakura** was nominated for Best Romance: Inuyasha/Kagome (Yay! I love you guys! Thank you!), ** Only in Dreams** was nominated Best Canon, and **Replacement** was nominated Best Romance: Miroku/Sango! (I guess that means I have to update it now, huh?)

So anyway, thanks you so much for the nominations:D

And if anyone out there is a BBC Robin Hood fan, I was really upset when I found out that Season 2 is only airing in Britain and won't appear in the US until March, but now, I found the episodes on youtube, so, I am one very happy fan. (Though, I don't quite get why if season 2 is supposed to be a week or two after season 1, everyone has longer hair and looks different, but ah, well, that's television for ya. :P )

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**Chapter 18: Caught**

Fall was approaching fast, everyone knew it, as the weather soon turned to the worse. The perfect warmth of the sun seemed to fade away behind grey clouds, the impending chill of winter beginning to creep up upon them. The sakura petals had all fallen now, leaving bare trees that didn't even get the chance to bring fruit this one year. And soon the beautiful gardens of Shinbashi would no longer be green, but an array of oranges and reds, pretty in its own way.

While many laborers rejoiced at the beginning of fall, knowing they could rest through winter, for geisha, it was not so. They worked all year long, rain or shine, in winter and in spring. Fall was nothing more than a marker in the passage of time, another year spent bringing men into a fantasy that did not exist.

But for one geisha, the coming of fall was something to loathe more than anything. As Kagome Higurashi checked the days off her calendar, knowing her patron would be home soon, a growing fear was beginning to build in her mind. Fear that the thing she was hiding from everyone would soon come in to light, and destroy her forever.

While she was over at Inuyasha's, she tried not to worry, but enjoy the time she spent with him, this man who had brought her so much happiness in a life that did not allow her to be happy. But even as she lay in his arms, feeling the touch of his hands and the kiss of his lips, loving him and being loved, she couldn't help but feel that one, small worry in the back of her mind.

She wore her sleeping robe in the early morning, the one she always left over at his room for occasions such as these, leaning against the window, looking out at the grey clouds covering the sky. On her face, she showed no emotion, like a geisha was taught, but inside, she was torn.

_Inuyasha__, I'm scared…_That's what she wanted to say, that's what she wanted to tell him, and let him hold her and comfort her while she relayed her fears to him. And then he would tell her it was all right, that they would get through it and he would protect her from everything.

But she couldn't tell him of this. No matter what, her fears made her keep these thoughts quiet. She wanted his comfort, but she was afraid he wouldn't understand. That he would say there was nothing they could do. That he was sorry, but he could not help her in her time of need.

Closing her eyes, Kagome gave a small sigh. _I shouldn't be worrying about this…nothing's happened yet…just because I am afraid it will be found out and all will come crashing down, doesn't mean…_

"You're already awake?" Inuyasha asked from the futon. She turned, to see him blinking slightly, having just woken up.

"Yes," she replied. "I've been awake for a while…I didn't want to disturb you, so I went over to look out the window."

Sitting up, the blanket falling down to reveal his bare chest, the hanyou shook his head. "What's to see? Just a bunch of clouds today."

"Very cloudy," she sighed. "We were always told that days like this were a bad omen."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You geisha. I don't believe in bad omens. Because even if the sky is a bad sign for one man, the how can it be one for everyone who looks at it?"

"I guess." Inuyasha noticed that as she answered, she glanced back outside, away from him, and her hand was twisting the end of her sleeve…a habit he noticed she only did was worried about something.

Pulling on a pair of pants to be slightly modest, Inuyasha asked, "Are you all right?"

The geisha glanced back at him, not understanding. "What do you mean?"

"You're nervous about something."

"I'm not," she replied, a little too quickly.

Inuyasha stood up, coming over to her, concern lighting his amber eyes. "Come on, what's wrong?"

Kagome shook her head, "Nothing's wrong! It's just…just the weather is all. It's making me anxious." She looked away again, but this time, Inuyasha wasn't going to take it.

"That's not it!" he yelled, concern in his eyes turning in to anger. He grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to look up at him. "Kagome, what is wrong? I just want to help!"

His touch was not rough, but neither was it gentle enough for her to feel completely safe. "Nothing is the matter! Let me go—!" Not even now, could she tell him.

The way she avoided him only made the warning bells go off in his head. "You're hiding something from me," he accused, his voice low and serious.

Kagome's brown eyes grew wider at his accusation. "What?"

Now, he could smell fear in her scent. "You are! You're hiding something from me!" The way the fear spiked only fed his own insecurities. Before he knew what he was saying, he continued, "What is it? Is that precious patron of yours back or—"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome lashed back, this time her voice was the angrier. "Do you really think I would hide something like that from you? Don't you think if it was that important, I would tell you? Do you think I'm the kind of woman to keep those types of secrets from her lover?"

At first, the hanyou wanted to rise to the challenge, to be able to vent all the things he had been bottling up ever since it was clear her patron would be returning to Tokyo soon. He wanted to ask her if she was that kind of woman, and to demand what it was, however small, that she refused to talk about. But, even he knew when it was time to stop. Despite the fact that he knew full well something was being kept from him, he decided to try and trust her that it was nothing important. "No, I don't," he answered softly, letting her go and turning away, dropping the argument.

"Truly it is nothing, Inuyasha," she told him, trying to sound calm after their small argument. "Just…a worry that has nothing to do with you…or us. Something that, hopefully, will not matter in a few weeks."

He sighed, knowing nothing else to do but take her word for it. "All right…if that's all it is."

Nothing else was spoken as the hanyou turned away to continue getting dressed, while the geisha looked back out towards the sky, the bad sign in the form of clouds. Biting her lip slightly as she thought of the argument they had moments before, she wondered, _Perhaps__ the bad omen doesn't mean what I think it does, but instead, means that __Inuyasha__ and I…are beginning to fall apart._

* * *

It wasn't long before Kagome had to sneak back in to her okiya, using the same way she had taken several times before over the past couple of months. Her fears of being caught had long since evaporated, since she always came back in at an hour that the rest of the geisha in the household were still asleep. 

Turning the corner, she saw her okiya in plain sight, and, as always, the wooden box she had slid under her bedroom window to climb back in. There was no one on the streets of Shinbashi at this early hour, so she didn't have to worry as she went over and stepped on to the box, reaching her second story window with ease.

Everything was going as it had been for weeks on end, but she was met with something she did not expect as she climbed through the window and stepped inside her room.

"Sango-chan?" Kagome gasped, as she turned to see her friend standing there, not looking very surprised at seeing the famous Sakura Blossom of Tokyo climb in through her window like a child playing a game.

"You didn't come back to the okiya last night," Sango answered calmly, but the tone of her voice set Kagome on alarm.

Like she always had, Kagome attempted to cover up the truth with a well placed lie. "I…I did, but—"

"I don't understand," Sango cut her off, her eyes, usually so kind, now narrowing in anger. "Why you feel the need to lie when the truth is right there in front of both our faces!"Kagome could say nothing to this, knowing when she had been beaten. "You were at Takahashi-san's last night," her friend accused, but at this, Kagome had to respond.

"_Takahashi-san_?" she nearly squeaked, wondering how she could have been found out.

"It was obvious, once it was all put together," Sango stated, like an accuser on a public trial. "I saw how you reacted to him at the Summer Festival, and I know you were with him before that. Everything became clear when I remembered all the times you 'slept in' and 'were late coming home'."

Kagome closed her eyes and gave a sigh, knowing at last, the secret was out. "Sango-chan…It has been this way even before the Summer Festival, even before Tanabata…almost ever since I first met him, it has been like this."

"Ever since then…?" her geisha sister asked, looking a bit shocked. "You have been lying and sneaking around since then? Why? Don't you care at _all_ about your career?"

"It is _because _of my career that I did this!" she shouted back, in exasperation. "Because of Kouga-san, because of everything, I was tired of everyone deciding everything for me and telling me what to do! I just wanted something that I got to choose, something that I wanted for once!"

"We are geisha, Kagome. In this world, we are lucky to be in this position. In exchange, we don't get to choose what we want."

"I don't care, Sango-chan!" Kagome nearly had tears in her eyes as she tried to explain to her one friend in this harsh world. "Sango…you may have chosen this life…but I never did. I was sold to this okiya as a child because my family thought they were doing the right thing for me, but…if they had asked me, if they had given me a choice, I would have rather stayed and been allowed the right to have my own life."

"Okaa-san will throw you out when she finds out," Sango said, ignoring what her sister had said before. "Do you want that?"

"No, I admit, I don't want it, but…" Kagome turned away, admitting what was in her heart. "Inuyasha…he makes me feel like no one else does. Is it wrong for me to want a little happiness?"

Her sister was unsympathetic. "Yes. We are geisha. No one's happiness matters but the men we serve."

Looking back at her, Kagome's eyes suddenly turned in to a sharp glare as one of her hands contracted in to a fist. "You don't understand…but you can't anyway."

"And what does that mean?"

Kagome stepped a little bit closer, now the one who was angry. "You know, I always envied you, Sango-chan. Whether you'd like to admit it to the world or not, you've always had Miroku-san, who loves you as a patron, and, though you try to hide it, you can't deny that you love him back as well."

"Houshi-san has nothing to do with this," Sango snapped back, but Kagome was not to be daunted.

"You are luckier than you ever realized, when you have a man that loves you and you love back so easily accessible. If you opened your heart to him, then no one could ever deny you that. But I am not so lucky. So how can you judge me for wanting the same thing you have, even if you won't act on it?"

"I am not judging you, Kagome," Sango shot back, folding her arms across her chest. "I am just stating the facts. The fact is Takahashi-san is just a poor delivery boy, when you are a geisha, brought up to serve rich men. To have an affair with him will ruin your career; that is the truth."

Kagome could say nothing to this; it was all true. "Do you want to ruin your career, Kagome, when it is going so well?" Sango asked, before saying more. "Don't be so selfish. This isn't just about you…there are some who would be very sad if you lost everything and were thrown out of here for something so foolish."

Looking up in to her geisha sister's eyes, the one person she would regret to leave if this all ended badly for her, Kagome spoke. "No…I don't want to ruin my career…But for a little while, I just wanted to feel what it was like to be happy."

Knowing this was it, Sango sighed, and turned away. "You are a fool, Kagome-chan." With that, she left her sister alone in her room, to think about this new and terrible turn in her life.

* * *

_I should have known,_ Miroku thought with a sigh, as he reflected on what Sango had told him earlier that day. _So it was Kagome and __Inuyasha__ after all…_

He didn't know Sango's geisha sister all that well, but what he didn't understand was why Inuyasha, a man he had always thought knew his place would have allowed such an affair to go on, had given in. Sure, the hanyou could be impulsive, but why he had allowed something of that nature to go on for so long was nearly unthinkable.

The bell was rung, and Miroku, knowing who it was, decided to get it himself instead of letting the maid handle it. As the door was opened, Inuyasha stood before him, with, as always, a scowl upon his face. "Takahashi-san," Miroku replied formally, though his tone was a lot darker than usual.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, flicking away the cigarette butt that had been in his hand. "What have you got me delivering this late, Houshi? You're the only person who asks for house deliveries past dinner time."

"Well, just bring the boxes in, and perhaps we can talk about it," Miroku replied sternly, heading in to the living room to wait for Inuyasha to come back in. He didn't really need what Inuyasha was delivering, but it was the only way he'd know for sure that he'd get to talk to him.

"Fuck, this is heavy," Inuyasha said as he came in to the living room with a box in his arms. "You had better not be making me deliver another one of your radios again."

"If it's that heavy, then perhaps you should sit down and take a rest for a minute," Miroku rolled his eyes, making sure the door behind them was shut. "After all, there's something I wanted to speak to you about."

Straightening up from setting the box down, Inuyasha looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Something you wanted to…talk to me about?"

"Inuyasha," the use of his first name showed that Miroku was deadly serious. "I know all about you and Higurashi-san."

Amber eyes widened in shock. "You—"

"She told Sango, and Sango told me," he replied simply, not realizing how much the man before him was affected by those words.

"She…she told…" _After everything, after all this secrecy, she went out and _told _her sister? _

Miroku reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him closer and lowering his voice to a whisper. "Inuyasha, I am saying this for your own good; whatever's going on between you and her, break it off now before it's too late."

Shaking out of his employer's grip, Inuyasha growled, "You think you can just say that—"

"Higurashi Kagome is a geisha, and one of the most famous geisha in Tokyo now," Miroku continued, his indigo eyes glaring back at the hanyou. "Her career is more important than any love affair she could have with you."

Growling louder, Inuyasha spoke angrily, "If you think you can bring me here and _tell me _how to run my own life—"

"I am telling this for both of your sakes! You shouldn't be getting involved when all you will do is scandalize her career!"

"I don't care what you have to say!" Inuyasha couldn't help but feel so angry he had to suppress the youkai's rage within him. His inner self knew the words Miroku was speaking to him now were true. Turning, he headed for the door to leave, but Miroku stopped him once more by stepping between him and his exit.

"Listen to reason, Inuyasha," He begged, so even the hanyou could see his concern. "You're setting yourselves up for ruin. She will have to go back to Ookami-san eventually, or risk being thrown out of the okiya and on to the street. What could you do then? Could you provide for her if that were to happen? Could you take care of her if this were to bring her down?"

Inuyasha didn't answer, but in his heart, he knew what the answer was. He could barely provide for himself now. If it was his fault, and Kagome lost everything, he couldn't make enough to take care of her. Even if she tried, she couldn't get any work as a woman who used to be a geisha. Her only choice would be to become a prostitute, and he could never see her do that because of him.

"Leave me alone, Houshi," Inuyasha said, pushing Miroku aside to reach the door. He stormed out of his house, never once stopping on his way out. Miroku watched him leave, thinking, _it will be bad for those two, once this scandal gets out. _

_Like it or not, in the end, there is no way for them to stay together. _


	19. Eye of the Storm

A/N: Well, looks like I got some last minute nominations! **First Kiss** was nominated for Best Oneshot and Best Romance: Miroku/Sango:D Thanks guys!

And YES, I know the chapter is late. Give me a break, I was playing Twilight Princess all weekend and had to catch up on my homework yesterday. But I did give you an extra long chapter, right?

Oh, and expect an update of **Replacement** sometime soon. I have it about halfway done.

* * *

**Chapter 19: Eye**** of the Storm**

"You talked to her?" Miroku asked, as he and Sango met in his apartment that night. Rain pattered lightly against the window, the gentle _tap-tap _the only noise as silence filled his apartment.

Finally Sango, who was looking again, gave a small sigh and nodded. "Yes…I told her."

"And?"

"And what do you think? Of course she wouldn't listen to anything I said!" the geisha spat out, rising from her seat at the low table, knowing she had made a bad choice when she chose to voice her concerns to her sister. "She's not going to listen, no matter what we say."

"Inuyasha was the same," her patron told her as he came to join her. "I've never seen the man so upset."

Sango was quiet for a moment, the gloominess of the rain and their talk nearly too much for her. "And so, they are both fools."

"Sango—"

She turned sharply back to face him, a deep set angry glare in her eyes. "Don't they realize that whatever happens in the end doesn't just affect them? Kagome is my sister! My only friend back there at the okiya! Is she so selfish that she thinks it will all be all right if in the end she is tossed out and I am left alone? Doesn't she understand that whatever pain she goes through, I will go through too?"

"Sango…" Miroku repeated, hoping on calming her down, but she would not be calmed in her rage.

"And Takahashi-san, too! What is he thinking allowing this? Doesn't he realize that in the end, this will destroy her career? She will be thrown on the street where he cannot take care of her! No matter what happens, we will all have to pay the price! And yet they both don't even care how much worry and anxiety I've been through…how I couldn't take it if something happened to Kagome…if she were to go away and I would never have to see her again…"

Miroku wasted no time. Upon seeing the tears in his geisha's eyes, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer, in to a small, zone of comfort. And she didn't even care; she didn't push away, but instead, held on to him as she tried to pull herself together.

"Sango…" he said once more, as he held her close against the horrors of the world. "I know you're worried, but…if they will not listen to reason, there is nothing we can do. Nothing we can do but wait, and watch, and hopefully pick up the pieces when it all shatters."

The idea of everything coming crashing down for the geisha sister that she loved so much, was nearly too horrifying for Sango to think about it. In a small voice, like a child's, she begged, "Houshi…"

"Shh…" he told her as he held her close, her head fitting against his chest as if it had been meant to be there. "Don't say anything more, Sango. Just let me hold you and comfort you…as I should have all these years."

The rain still continued to patter on the window, the constant repetition of noise to counter the quiet of the living room. No one measured the time, but for as long as she needed, and perhaps a little longer than that, Sango didn't move an inch. He was right, and she knew it deep down. Through all of these years and all the depression, fear, and yearning, she should have let him give her comfort when she needed it the most.

And call it ironic, but while she was so worried over her sister, horrified at the choices she had made in the last few months, at last, she understood what she had meant when she spoke of happiness.

* * *

But for her sister, the Fallen Sakura of Tokyo, things were not happy at this moment. 

"You _told _her?" Inuyasha roared, staring back at his lover while she stood in his apartment, hanging her head in shame.

"I had no choice, Inuyasha," she spoke up, tears lining her eyes, shining as bright as the raindrops outside. "Sango-chan saw me come in to my room the other day as I was getting back, and she knew so much already…I had no choice but to tell her!"

Though it was wrong, Inuyasha couldn't help it as he muttered, glaring at her from out of the corner of his amber eyes, "So, you've lied about everything else. Why tell her the truth then…unless you _wanted _to tell her."

Kagome could take no more of this. "Inuyasha!" she yelled, standing up and facing him, her tears turning to ones of anger. "Have I _ever _lied to you about anything? Why would you suspect such a thing?"

"I don't know, but don't I have a reason to?" He continued to rant. "You've admitted you've lied to everyone else, and I _know _you're hiding something, so all I'm wondering is when those smooth lies are going to be turned on me!"

Kagome could hardly believe what she was hearing. The man whom she had loved, who she had risked everything to be with, the man she loved more than anything, was standing there, and accusing her of being a liar. Was this all because Miroku had come to him and warned them of their relationship, or was it something else? Whatever had caused him to give such an outburst, she couldn't stand there and take it one moment longer.

"Is that really how little you think of me?" Kagome spoke, this time her voice no longer harsh, rising to the challenge, but softer, hurt. The sound of the patter of the rain filled the room as the hanyou grew quiet and realized fully what he had said.

"Kagome—"

"Fine," she cut him off. "If that is how little you think of me…then I'll leave."

"Kagome!" she heard him call after her as she sharply turned and walked out of the room, leaving him behind. She didn't know if he would come after her, and she hoped more than anything he would run after her and apologize in a few seconds. But he didn't. In a robotic state as she tried to fully comprehend what she was doing, she came down the stairs and to the door. She walked out of the studio, in to the rainy night, and, looking up to the sky, warm tears feel down her cheeks in addition to the cold drops of rain. And, leaning back against the wall of the studio to steady herself, she cried.

How could this be happening when she was so happy just a week ago? How could Inuyasha accuse her like that when he knew that she cared for him more than anything? Why was it, that their relationship that seemed so perfect, like something out of a fairy tale, was now turning sour?

A few soft sobs escaped her, unable to be quenched as she tried to keep the horrible feeling she felt from making her sick. She had been so worried and stressed in the past days, and now Inuyasha was beginning not to trust her. And so, the geisha leaned against the wall and cried, cried for her life that was suddenly rolling downhill.

Later after she had composed herself, she walked slowly back to her okiya in Shinbashi. Her hair in its lopsided bun, and dark grey kimono were soaked, and any traces of makeup she still had on were long washed away, yet she didn't care, not anymore. She would make up some excuse to Mother Tsubaki…What did it matter? Inuyasha said she lied all the time anyway!

Her arms wrapped around herself as a small gesture of comfort, while her gaze was lowered, and her zori shuffled along the street, the only thoughts in her head were the repeating words of Inuyasha in her mind, torturing her over and over, "_All I'm wondering is when those smooth lies are going to be turned on me!"_

Walking the street, she passed a teahouse that was still open; light, and warmth were coming from the window. Though Kagome did not work in this district, she thought perhaps she could drop in and wait out the storm, as geisha sometimes did if their names were well known. She was seriously considering going in and asking for some shelter when she heard a voice, speaking close to the window.

"Everything is going according to plan, Naraku-san," an eager sounding man spoke. "We will soon return this country to the way it was; with the rich and the strong in power and the weak working to support them, none of this equality brought upon by the General Election Law and whatnot."

"It is a disgrace," another voice agreed. "Seeing weaker men able to pick and choose their leader alongside the strong ones. But soon, with your help, Naraku-san, we won't have to worry about the foolishness of this government anymore."

_What?_ Kagome gasped, hardly able to believe what she is hearing. _They are planning a coup against Emperor Taisho?_ Leaning closer, she was able to look in to the dark room of the teahouse, seeing men crowded around a table. Three of them sat on one side; one was bald and had a shifty look, the one in the center, she supposed was the leader, had his hair in a long braid and spoke easily with the others, and the third, which at first glance she thought was a woman, looked happier than ever at the prospect of overturning the government. On the opposite side of the table, a man with long, dark hair and almost red eyes, smiled a smirk that sent chills down her spine.

"By October we will have everything ready. Once this plan of yours gets off your feet, nothing will be able to stop us, Naraku-san," the bald man said.

"You have done well," Naraku spoke, his voice cold. "Without you and your men, Bankotsu, we could have never gotten this plan off its feet. But don't be too hasty to take action; there is still much to be done before we murder the Emperor in front of all the people in Japan."

Hearing this gave Kagome quite a shock, and she gasped. But that was her mistake, as all four heads turned to her. For a moment, she froze, and then she knew nothing else to do but run. She had barely gotten to the end of the street when the door of the teahouse burst open. "No one else must know of the plan!" she heard a man shout from behind her, as her blood ran cold.

She turned a corner, sliding and nearly tripping over her lacquered zori. Heart pounding in her ears as she heard the men chase after her, she didn't even care at the future cost to her as she quickly threw off the platformed sandals and ran through the narrow alleyway in only her tabi socks. She knew they were gaining when she turned down another narrow alleyway, the rain falling in to her eyes and making it hard to see, and heard a man cry, "There she is!"

The ground was hard against her cold, wet feet, the rain hit her like lead as she tried to run, her heart beating faster and faster as the fear nearly overwhelmed her. _Please! _She turned down another small alleyway. _Someone—_ She could hear the men gaining from behind. _Anyone—_ A loud bang echoed from behind, and something whizzed past her ear. Her heart plunged into her stomach in terror. They had guns. _Someone, help me!_

She skidded to a halt in front of another back alley somewhere in Tokyo, and let out a small cry of horror—she was at a dead end.

Whipping around, her eyes widened as she found no escape; the four men advanced on her now, guns withdrawn and pointed at her head. They tried to circle her, and she backed up against a wall, but knew she was cornered, knew there was nothing left.

All four men gathered around, grinning and laughing at her as Kagome whimpered in terror. "What shall we do with her, Naraku? Shall we have a little fun with her first?" the braided man chuckled.

"Bankotsu, even you know that is too cruel," the man called Naraku spoke, his mocking eyes looking down at the geisha as she was too frightened to say anything. "Shoot her first and then you can have your fun with her. The safety of the plan comes before your pleasure." He started to turn, but then gave a small, evil laugh. "But…since you have served me well these past months…perhaps I am inclined to let you have your little fun with her; before we throw her body in the bay."

Naraku's frame got smaller and smaller as he walked out of the alleyway and back in to the night. Kagome felt her fingers tremble as she realized what was happening to her. _No…please…let this __be__ a dream! _The bald one grabbed her tightly by the wrist, and pulled it back, crying, "Let go of me!"

A fist came and tangled in her wet hair, pulling her forward and making her give a shriek of pain. But she became silent when she felt the cold, metal muzzle of a gun pressed to her forehead. "Now you, woman, are going to be quiet until we finish this. Or I _will _make your death painful." Bankostu spoke, his eyes too serious to be lying.

The hand that held her by the hair released her, throwing her down on the cold, wet stones of the alley. There was no time for to even consider getting up and running, as she felt the strong arms of Bankotsu's men pin her down, while their leader loomed over her, his hands ripping at the tight obi knot in her kimono. _No…no…_ Tears fell from her eyes for the second time that night, feeling the gun pressed to her temple once more. The cruel men laughed as the obi fell slack, and the kimono was torn open. _Oh, Gods, No!_

Her captor's face was like the face of a devil. "Relax, woman," Bankotsu laughed crudely, grabbing her roughly by the chin. "It'll all be over soon…"

Kagome had been unable to speak for so long, but knowing he was about to do it sent a fear like no other up her spine. Even though she knew it was impossible, even though she knew he was angry and didn't know what was happening, knowing he wouldn't save her, she cried out anyway, "_Inuyasha_"

_Wham!_

There was a cry of pain and Kagome, looked up, seeing Bankotsu thrown across the alleyway, his head hitting hard on the wall. Standing over her, fists clenched, face set in pure fury, was none other than her savior.

"You stay the _fuck _away from her!" A voice growled low and menacing, fangs bared like a rabid wolf, and eyes flashing a dangerous red.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome gasped, hardly daring to believe it, yet there her silver haired hanyou was, looking more dangerous than she had ever seen him. The others didn't have time to react, as he set on them, razor sharp claws flying.

Both men tried to jump out of the way, but barely escaped with deep scratches on their arms. "Who the Hell—?" The bald one asked, aiming his gun at Inuyasha. Without another second, he unloaded a round of bullets towards the hanyou, making Kagome cry his name a second time as she tried to scramble to her feet, attempting to retie her kimono to make herself decent.

But she didn't need to worry. Before the men had a chance to react, Inuyasha was right in front of them, both of their pistols in his fists. "You think these _toys _will harm me, human?" he sneered, crushing them both in an instant, the metal shards falling to the ground.

"Let's get out of here!" the other lackey said, and both scampered off. Inuyasha would let them go; it was his boss he wanted to deal with. Bankotsu was rising to his feet, but the hanyou wasted no time. A clawed hand found its way around Bankotsu's throat.

"You will _pay _for this," Inuyasha snarled, his hand tightening, choking the man.

But Bankotsu acted quickly. A hidden knife slashed across the hanyou's chest, making him jump back by reflex as Bankotsu made his escape, following after his men.

The hanyou, still lusting for their blood, was about to chase after them, but his eyes fell on Kagome sitting there on the ground, her eyes like a stunned child, staring at him with a mixed look of relief and horror. He couldn't leave her now.

Oddly, it was then that Inuyasha noticed the rain had stopped, as he knelt beside her, weighted down by guilt and the terrifying thought of what could have happened if he got there too late. "Kagome…are you…are you all right?"

"You…saved me…" her voice was soft, and nearly broken. Inuyasha only nodded in response. At this, tears began to fill up her eyes, and she fell in to his arms, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks, as he held her softly, thanking all the gods that she was safe.

"Kagome…I'm sorry," he murmured, holding her closer. "I'm sorry I said what I did—I had no right…I shouldn't have doubted you just because of my own jealous thoughts…If I had just listened, and…this…"

"But you came," her voice wavered, the shock and everything still thick in her mind. "You came and saved me…"

"But if I hadn't tried to go after you—!" he began, and then stopped. No, he could think no more on what might have happened. Sighing, he just held her, comforted that he got there when he did. "I'll never doubt you again…I promise. I know you're too pure of a soul to lie like that to me."

Kagome said nothing, but accepted his apology. Despite the fact that she _was _hiding something from him, however small the thought was, now was not the time to fess up to it. Hopefully, her fears would prove false and she would never have to relay them.

After a few minutes, Inuyasha helped her up from the cold, hard, ground. "Come on…" he said, taking note of her stockinged feet, ruined kimono and rumpled hair. "Let's get you to Houshi's…he could probably do better at explaining to your mother than I could."

She nodded, leaning on him, her lover and savior, her pillar of strength as he led her out. "Yes, that would be best for now…At least, it's over…"

But unfortunately for Inuyasha and Kagome, the storm was not over. They were merely in the eye of the storm, and the full fury of the tempest around them was about to be seen.

As Kagome and Inuyasha walked out in to the street, a mistress of the teahouse who had seen what had transpired before recognized her. _The women those men were chasing was __Higurashi__ Kagome? _

Stunned, but relieved that one of the most famous geisha in all of Tokyo was all right, she hurried over to her writing desk, setting the candle down and began to address a letter.

_Kouga__-san,_

_You told me to check up on your geisha whenever I could, and I have some troubling news for you that cannot wait…_

* * *

_Kyoto_

Kouga sighed, sitting back in his large armchair, throwing the letter from the teahouse mistress upon his desk. _Kagome was attacked…I can hardly believe it. But thank the Gods some kind soul rescued her before…_

"So," Ayame who stood across from him asked, glancing at the letter. "What has happened?"

"Something," he answered. "Something terrible, but at least it was not as bad as it could have been."

"Let me guess," his wife spat angrily, "It has to do with that geisha."

Kouga rolled his blue eyes again, "Ayame…"

"What's that look for? I really don't care. I was just asking," she shrugged, walking back towards the door of his office. _I don't care, because at least I am comforted that I am the only woman that loves you as you should be loved, __Kouga__, and hopefully, you will someday figure that out._

"I have to go back to Tokyo, immediately," her husband spoke, standing from his chair, resolved.

"What?" she asked, surprised more than anything. He had spent a wonderful summer at home with his children, whom he couldn't deny he adored, but Ayame supposed the lure of that geisha was stronger than that of his family.

Kouga turned towards his wife. "I have to go back, Ayame….you know I do. Even you can't say that it's not my duty to go comfort the woman that has had such a scare."

Ayame was silent for a moment, but then turned around sharply, saying "Fine, do what you want. It doesn't matter to me. I am merely your wife; it is not like I have any say in what you do." Walking out, she smirked to herself for a moment, confident the sting of her insult would hit the mark.

While what his wife said did hurt, Kouga couldn't help the nagging feeling that he had indeed abandoned his geisha while spending time at home with his children. _Don't worry Kagome, I'll be home soon. And everything will be as it should be. _


	20. Terrible Truth

A/N: So, I spent the whole weekend finishing up my Link costume for Halloween and Anime USA. And it looks FANTASTIC:D

So anyway, I suppose some of you saw this was coming, but it's almost a recurring theme in my stories, so whatever.

Oh well, at least the next fanfiction will be more original. Minus the you know, overdone pirates theme and the unable-to-avoid PotC references. But it's ORIGINAL I swear!

Oh, and for the manga readers, I hereby declare Kohaku the King of Awesome. If that moment wasn't WAAAAAAAY too short, I'd make a fanfiction of it. Oh well, it still had me cheering all the same.

* * *

**Chapter 20: ****Terrible Truth**

Kouga was coming back. He would be coming back within a week. While it didn't seem like much of a statement to any other geisha, whose patrons would come and go as they pleased, to Higurashi Kagome, those words were like a curse looming overhead, soon to strike.

For the past few months she was free of him and free to be with Inuyasha, always the lingering thought of what would happen when Kouga came back was in her mind. She was afraid that her relationship with Inuyasha would be over. She was afraid that she would have to leave him and go back to Kouga, forever.

But even more than that, she was afraid she would be caught in this whole mess, with no way out.

She had always thought that getting caught might be the way her and Inuyasha's small fling would end, but she never really contemplated it until now. If Kouga found out about her relationship with Inuyasha, and dropped her as a geisha for it, her entire career was ruined. Now, with Kouga heading back to Tokyo, it seemed more than likely that it was the way things were going to end.

Kagome had told herself when she began all of this with her lover that once Kouga came back, it would be time to say goodbye to the dream they once had. How foolish she had been, to think that she could just say goodbye to the man she loved and that be it! He was like a basic need of her life now, she could just as easily stop breathing and continue to live!

Ever since she had received the fateful letter from Kouga saying he would be returning to Tokyo soon, the worry had crept in to her mind, and wouldn't leave her. Every minute of her waking life, Kagome thought of it, knowing that soon, this dream she had been living in would come to an abrupt end. She couldn't even pretend as a geisha anymore; her laughs were feeble, and her smiles did not come. She could not entertain like she used to, and more than one person noticed her constant state of anxiety.

But only few knew of its true cause. "Kagome-chan, you can't keep up like this," Sango spoke to her the next day, as Kagome sat in her room, as if hiding from the world. "Everyone knows something is wrong; even Okaa-san is threatening to give you a good beating if you won't snap out of it."

"It's not something I can just 'snap out of, Sango-chan!" Kagome told her hugging her arms to her chest as she sat on her futon, in her sleeping kimono. Like her mild depression months before, she had gone back to her habit of sleeping to take the pain away. Perhaps this was a good thing for her, as Sango noticed the anxiety had almost driven her to sickness; she didn't want to eat much anymore, and her geisha sister's headaches had come back with a vengeance, making her look so much pale enough that she didn't need the heavy makeup to make her face look dead white.

"For goodness' sake Kagome, look at you!" her sister lashed back. "You're going to worry yourself to death! You've got to do something before it gets any worse!"

"And what am I supposed to do, Sango-chan?" Kagome asked, meeting her sisters gaze in a worried look. "Kouga-san is coming back!"

Sighing, Sango took her sister's hand, trying to comfort her as she said, "You know what you have to do to end this, Kagome-chan. If you're so worried about Kouga-san finding out about…all this, then you'll have to break it off with Takahashi-san."

Her geisha sister looked away for a moment, "Sango-chan…"

"Kagome, don't you realize what will happen if Kouga finds out? You'll be thrown out of the okiya!

"I know!" she cut her off, her brown eyes getting an almost crazed look at the very thought. "I know, Sango-chan, but…Inuyasha…I can't just drop him now that we've been like this for so long…"

"Kagome!"

"Listen to me, Sango-chan!" Kagome started, yelling at her friend, her voice getting higher and more shrill as she yelled, "I have been through enough of this in the past few weeks! You don't know how long I have lied awake and night, wondering if the right thing to do was really what I wanted to do in my heart! You can't imagine how much I just wish I could tell Inuyasha I would never see him again and be done with it! But I can't! I can't say goodbye because once it's over, what's left to live for?"

"Kagome," her sister began slowly after Kagome finished her rant. "There is your career to live for."

Kagome gave an almost sadistic laugh at that. "My _career_? What good is a throwing away all happiness for a career that would sooner end than reach the top? A career I never wanted in the first place—making eyes and pretending to be fascinated with men I couldn't care a whit about."

Sango was shocked at her sister's declaration. "Kagome-chan! I thought you wanted to be the most famous geisha in all of Shinbashi? The most famous in all of Tokyo!"

Shaking her head, her sister replied, "It was a goal I had before I knew what true happiness was. Besides…" she held her arms closer to her chest, as if hiding something. "It is a career that I am not sure will last much longer…even if I break everything off with Inuyasha."

Sango stared at her, surprised by her latest comment, but did not reply.

* * *

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked later that night, as they lay in his futon in the room above the studio late that night. Kagome was in his arms, trying with all her might to enjoy these tender moments as much as she could, but he could still feel her trembling in his arms.

She flinched, realizing he had caught on. "It's nothing," she said, burying her head into his strong chest. "I'm just cold."

"No, you're not," he muttered, pulling her closer in his arms. He took a small whiff of her beautiful, intoxicating scent, but then suddenly paused, alarmed. "Your scent…"

Kagome froze, her eyes opening wide in the horror as she realized what he might know. "Inuyasha—!

"Your scent reeks of fear," he continued, turning towards her. "Kagome, is something going on?"

Kagome debated with herself for a moment. She didn't want to lie to him, not after their last misunderstanding, but…if she told him Kouga was coming back, then she'd have to tell him _everything_ and eventually…she would have to tell him that they could see each other for no longer.

"I'm just…afraid," she began, pulling herself towards him. "I...I know that this is all too good to last…"

With a sigh, the hanyou shook his head for a moment, as if he couldn't understand where this had come from, and spoke in a soft, reassuring voice, "Don't think about that right now. Don't worry about it…"

He turned to kiss her, and she complied only to oblige him. _Inuyasha__, can't you see that all I do is worry now? I can't help but think about it when my life is about to fall apart…_

Hours later, he slept soundly while Kagome lay awake, conflicting thoughts floating around in her head once more. What was the right thing to do, now that Kouga was coming back and her reputation and career was on the line as long as she continued to see Inuyasha?

She had many half-baked solutions in her mind; she and Inuyasha could continue to be together as long as they were discreet about it. She could pretend she was ill and not have to visit Kouga's apartment for a while until she was better. She could blow Kouga off entirely—using the excuse that she was still shaken up by the near-rape that she didn't want to resume her duty as his mistress until she was over that.

But she knew, in her heart, none of these ideas would fix the problem that lay before her. There was only one option that could restore her to her former glory as a geisha peacefully—stop seeing Inuyasha.

Thinking of that gave her a bad feeling in her heart. Pulling the blanket tighter around herself, she thought, _Right now, I'm hanging off the edge of a cliff…but if I am to climb back up or take the fall…all depends upon one thing._

* * *

But, the geisha would soon learn that it indeed was to be her fall.

Kagome's world seemed frozen in a single state of shock as Dr. Koujion proclaimed at last, "You're pregnant."

For a moment, she couldn't speak, but just stare in horror as she realized all her fears were coming true. When she finally regained her voice, she nearly shrieked in terror, "_What?"_

The doctor sighed, having seen many geisha in this state of shock at being told the news. Calmly, he spoke, "You came to me worried because your menstruation cycle was late, and you said you had been feeling symptoms of sickness and nausea, and all the tests proved positive. I'm afraid, Higurashi-san, that you are indeed with child."

Kagome tried to think, but all she could do was attempt to keep herself from panicking. But how could she not panic? Her bleeding time had come a week after Kouga had left. If she was pregnant, then there was no doubt in her mind that the child was Inuyasha's. Oh, why hadn't she been more careful? Why didn't she _think _before she threw herself fully into the happiness that Inuyasha's arms offered before realizing what she could have done? "How long?" she whispered, her face as pale as a sheet as the reality of the situation slowly sank down around her.

The doctor looked back at the sheet of test results he had in his hand. "I would guess about two months or so."

Two months…that proved it was Inuyasha's now. What could she do? With this baby inside of her, it put the final nail in the coffin of her downfall. No one would blame Kouga after he dropped her once everyone found out that his geisha had been with another man during his absence.

Seeing the fear of the inevitable upon her face, the kind doctor tried to cheer her up. "Relax, Higurashi-san. I'm sure Ookami-san will understand."

This was an unexpected statement. "W-what?" Kouga? Understand? That was laughable. While the man was kind, he was not kind enough to allow his geisha to publically shame him by betraying him for another.

Guessing that perhaps she was too shocked to comprehend, Dr. Koujion stated, "It is natural for these things to happen when a patron takes a geisha mistress, is it not?"

Kagome looked at him puzzled, but then it dawned on her. _Oh…he doesn't know that __Kouga__ left for Kyoto…_ Knowing nothing else to say, she merely nodded.

Dr. Koujion turned, and went over to his date book, and flipped through the pages. "Since this is going to…be a problem. Why don't we schedule the appointment to get this through before others can realize what is going on."

Not understanding what he meant, she repeated, "'The appointment?'" shaking her head slightly when she did not understand.

"The appointment," the doctor repeated scribbling something down in his datebook. "To get rid of the baby before it causes too much damage."

Upon hearing his words, Kagome was sent into another state of shock. Flashes of holding a child in her arms and the tiny jizo statue in the shrine came before her eyes, instead of this time, now the child was silver haired and dog eared, screaming as it came out bloody and disfigured—

"No!" she cried, springing to her feet and knocking over the chair. Her head swam, and she found herself nearly falling over in dizziness before grabbing on the side of Dr. Koujion's operating table to steady herself. "I can't…I can't do it again!"

The doctor stared at her, sincerely worried upon seeing his patient fall into hysteria at the mention of this one question. "I know you're…upset about all this, Higurashi-san, but your patron spoke to me that time before, saying that he didn't want any children other than the ones he already has…"

"That doesn't…it doesn't matter what Kouga-san wants! It has nothing to do with him!" she cried, one hand clutching her belly, where none other than Inuyasha's child lay. There was no way she could go through with it again, especially now when she knew without a doubt it was Inuyasha's child and not Kouga's.

Dr. Koujion tried to speak reason to her. "I am only looking out for the best interest of my patients. Higurashi-san, if you don't do as I request and schedule the appointment, then—"

"I know what will happen, damn it!" Looks like she had picked up a bit of Inuyasha's speech as well, but that didn't matter, not now, in this situation.

Sighing, he decided he couldn't argue with her. "I suppose this news is just too much of a shock for you right not to comprehend what to do. Why don't you go home now, Higurashi-san, and rest; take the medicine for your upset stomach, and think about this clearly for a while. I'm sure after this has taken time to sink in, you can make the wise decision."

Kagome wanted to argue, but she realized that there was nothing to say. Flat out refusing was allowing the child that was not Kouga's to live and destroy what was left of her career. But agreeing…would destroy something even worse.

She knew this moment when she would have to accept her defeat that what came to her from a bed of her own making, but…right now, just after she heard the terrible truth of it, she wasn't ready. "I say no for now, Dr. Koujion, but…I will go home and leave the full decision for a better time."

"Good," the doctor said, looking happier at that answer. "I am sure you will be more apt to making this decision once you feel better. And get lots of rest—you look very pale."

As Kagome headed home from the doctor's, bag of medicine in hand, the world just didn't seem quite real. She was still trying to fully understand what had happened, and what would happen to her as consequences of it.

This baby…it would end her career as she knew it if anyone found out. But even the threat of that couldn't make her want to get rid of it. She had killed a baby once. She couldn't do it again.

Now, much more was on the line. How silly of her to think that her career was in danger because she couldn't say goodbye to Inuyasha! That seemed like an easy task now, compared to what she had to deal with now.

Walking along the street, she saw someone pulling a rickshaw cart full of packages through the road. She didn't need to see the silver hair on top of his head to know who it was. Heart falling deep in her chest, Kagome didn't dare let him know she was there as she turned, running as fast as she could in the opposite direction. She couldn't face him now; couldn't tell him what had happened.

_It is my fault for this…I can't expect him to help me now when it is __all my__ fault…_

Kagome ran all the way to the okiya, to hide from the world, as she knew everything would soon shatter. Running up the stairs to her room, she threw herself upon the bed, covered herself with the blanket, and waited for everything to fall apart.

She was doomed; there was no question of that. But as for trying to salvage herself from the wreckage, she would have to do it alone. She could tell no one now. But until she was found out, there was nothing left to do but wait for the axe to fall.

There was no way out; even if she did take the choice she would hate herself for, Kouga knowing of 'the appointment' when it showed up on his bill would say it all. Tsubaki would discover what had happened and it would all be over for her.

_I always hated this life…but isn't it funny that now, all I want is__ things to be the way they were before?_

Her eyes wandered, glancing over at the American posters on her walls, at a culture she had wanted to see someday. _At last…my life as "The Sakura Blossom of Tokyo" has come to an end…_


	21. A Time for Change

A/N: Ugh. I'm amazed I actually GOT this chapter out this week, considering I have been swamped with an edit of an older story that needs to be done ASAP, NaNoWriMo, this story, Replacement, an outline for a new original fiction, AND the outline for Heart of the Sea.

Yes, I am crazy. But you already knew that.

Oh, and how funny that I decided to add the bit with Naraku in the end on the 5th of November. XD I should have added something about bombs underneath the emperor's palace or something.

* * *

**Chapter 21: A Time for Change**

Fall had come, with the orange and red leaves falling from the trees that lined the streets of Shinbashi, falling down on to the dirt streets, awaiting to be crushed under the zori of countless geisha.

The cold chills of fall came sweeping between the wooden okiya, causing geisha, who were wrapped in so many layers of kimono, to chill to the bone. The teahouses were places that many geisha gathered, waiting near the fires in the kitchen for warmth.

The warmer, heavier lined kimonos were brought out from the kimono stores, and now, wearing heavier silks, geisha walked slower, carrying the heavy weight of the clothes that kept them warm. For geisha, winter was a time to stay indoors, entertaining or practicing the shamisen and their dance, in preparation for when the weather would be warmer, and the outdoor festivities around the Shinbashi district would begin again.

For maiko and girls hoping to be maiko, winter was the time to prove themselves, as the most prominent students in the geisha school during the winter were picked early on in the spring for solos in dances, or to be apprenticed to the best older sisters they could get.

Kagome saw Rin around the okiya, trying to balance her chores along with her shamisen and dance practice. Once, she even caught her in the kimono storeroom, having opened up one of the boxes she was supposed to be putting away, and holding the elegant kimono up to herself in pretend.

Yes, once spring came, Rin would be a maiko, and one of the older geisha in the okiya would be chosen as her older sister. Once, Kagome wished with all her might that she could be Rin's older sister, but now, her heart ached, knowing that it was a wish that could never be.

The news that she was pregnant, with Inuyasha's child no less, completely shattered any hopes she might have had as her future as a geisha. Kouga was expected back in two days. And when he learned of this, he wouldn't want to keep her any longer.

Tsubaki would throw her out of the okiya. And the geisha that once could have been the most famous of all, would be ruined. Destroyed because of her own selfishness for something she could not have; love.

And yes, Kagome regretted that; she regretted that because she would leave behind Sango, and Rin to this world of manipulation and lies, while she tried to live out her life to what she had made of it. But the action; she didn't regret it one bit.

Even if this was how it was to end, with Inuyasha, she had happiness, she had love. And no matter what happened now, those fond memories could get her through anything. She didn't care how low this brought her…not when she could sit back, and close her eyes, and relive the time on the bridge with the falling sakura, or the time they went to the Douglas Fairbanks movie, or even the time Toutousai captured that picture where she was sure her true feelings had been revealed.

Her true feelings…Leaning back against her wall, lost in thought, she remembered one thing. Something that, oddly, had not bothered her until now. _Even though I love him…I never told him before, did I? _

_And…he never has either…_ This odd thought now bothered her, wondering why Inuyasha had never gotten up the courage to tell her he loved her. He _obviously _had feelings for her, but love…he had never said.

It was odd. Kouga told her he loved her, quite frequently. But she never…_felt _anything when he said those words. And when forced to repeat them, she felt heartless; empty inside. Like a shell of a woman, unable to feel any emotions.

But with Inuyasha, even if he never said those words to her, she felt warm, and happy inside, whenever she was with him. Somehow, even without him telling her, when she was in his arms, she felt loved.

She wondered though, why had she never told him? Perhaps it was because she was she was waiting for him to say the words first. Hugging herself across her chest, she knew that even though she freely _showed _her love for him, telling him was something entirely different. Especially when he had never said anything himself.

And there was more. Now what was she supposed to do, with the baby? If she told him about it after her geisha life was ruined, Inuyasha would think that she only said she loved him so he would help her take care of it. And she didn't want that.

Kagome knew the only job she could get as a disgraced geisha with a child. If she asked Inuyasha to take her in to avoid that, it would be harder on him. He already had a hard enough time paying the rent to Toutousai. She couldn't ask him to shelter her when her career was shattering due to her own misdeeds.

Closing her eyes, she leaned against the wall, her hand on the belly that she knew would soon expand in a few months with the new baby. _I know what I must do…_she told herself, though it hurt her.

_ I will accept my punishment. I will let them throw me out of the okiya. I won't object or complain. I deserve it._

_And Inuyasha…I will let you go. It will be easier…on both of us, if you never know of this baby. _

Tears clouded her eyes as she made her decision. _Yes, that is what I must do. I will leave you Inuyasha, but I will raise our child in memory of you. _

A tear escaped her, rolling down her cheek. _Funny, isn't' it? _She thought, giving a small laugh mixed with a trapped sob. _I wanted my career, or love. Now, I will lose both._

* * *

But little did the geisha know, that while her world was crashing down, things were looking up for her lover, the simple delivery boy.

"What?" Inuyasha asked, staring at the fat, yet nicely dressed man in front of him, hardly daring to believe what he just said. When the man had walked up to him in the street as he finished his rounds, at first he thought it had something to do with a missed delivery or something to that effect. But instead, the man had invited him for some sake in the nearest restaurant, and then surprised him again.

"I just told you, boy," the prosperous businessman, called Myouga said matter of factly. "I'm impressed with your work. You're one of the fastest delivery men we have; and far more efficient than most of them. So, I want you to come to Osaka and work directly for me, in charge of the whole delivery network from there."

The hanyou was stunned still; what the man had just said to him was unthinkable. He, a hanyou, was being offered a job at a higher position? Even though he had dreamed, and wanted this opportunity, he never thought it would actually come to him. This made him doubtful. "You, a full youkai, are offering this position to me, when there are others out there…?"

Myouga looked exasperated. "Yes, haven't I already told you? I don't care, human, or youkai, or what! You're the most efficient we have, and the position is something I think only you can qualify for! Unless you don't want to take it—"

"And why would you think that?" Inuyasha cut in, banging his fist upon the small table. "I want to take this damn job!" he began, but then paused. "But…I don't think I can. It's in Osaka and I…Fuck, I couldn't pay for a one way ticket to Osaka, much less enough to move there from—"

"Don't you think we haven't thought of that?" Myouga began. "I told you, Takahashi, we want _you. _We _need _you, and believe me, we're about ready not to take no for an answer. Half our deliveries missing, late, and who knows what…So, we're prepared to do anything it takes."

Myouga pulled something out of his large coat pocket, a long, white piece of paper, and slid it across the table towards Inuyasha while taking a long drink of sake. The hanyou picked it up, staring at it with skepticism. "A train ticket?"

Myouga nodded. "We'll pay for the ticket, and once you arrive in Osaka, we can get you somewhere to live while you handle the head of the deliveries for a while. It's the best offer you'll ever get, so perhaps you know now how much we need of your services, Takahashi."

The hanyou's golden eyes widened at this. Myouga was right; this was the best offer he could ever get. Perhaps the one chance in a lifetime that would help him up to achieve his goal. Finally, he would be out of drab Tokyo, making deliveries of cosmetics to arrogant geisha, and would be running an entire department in Osaka, the heart of business! It was perfect, it was incredible, it was…

Pretending to think long and hard about it, Inuyasha said, "Make it two tickets, and then it's a deal."

The youkai stared for a moment, and then laughed. "Thinking of taking a wife, Takahashi?"

The hanyou gave a small, soft smile to himself as he pocketed the train ticket and picked up his cup of sake. "Perhaps…"

* * *

"Osaka?" Kagome gasped, amazed when Inuyasha told her the news, back in his small room above the photography studio that night. They sat near the window, one of their favorite spots, and talked of their day until it was brought up. "You're getting a job in Osaka, Inuyasha, that's wonderful!"

The hanyou couldn't help but smile, knowing she would be delighted. "Isn't it? Now, finally, I can be somewhere else besides the bottom of the ladder!"

In truth, Kagome was happy for him, but as for herself, she couldn't help the constant ache in her heart. _So…when all of this comes to an end…he'll be gone forever…_ At least it comforted her that he would no longer be in Tokyo when things came to an end, so he wouldn't have to see the lows she would have to go to keep herself and the baby alive.

"So, you're really going?" she asked, a bit more cautious with her words this time, to hide her true thoughts on the matter. Inuyasha was happy, and that was all that mattered in this moment. She wasn't going to ruin his happiness at this just because of her upset.

Inuyasha gave a sigh, with a satisfied smile on his face. "Yeah…I mean, it sounds much better than here, don't you think? Wouldn't it be great to get out of Tokyo and go to a place like Osaka to live? Away from everything left behind here?" He hoped that his egging her on would work so he would find the perfect time to tell her he also had one more ticket put away just for her.

Kagome couldn't help but smile in agreement. "Yes…that would be nice, to get away from all the bad memories here…but it won't ever happen. For me, anyway. I am tied to Tokyo forever, through my life-long contract in Shinbashi." _Though, that won't remain for long…_

The hanyou had to stop himself short, annoyed that she continued where she could have stopped, and it would have been the perfect place to tell her of what he had asked for as well. Trying another tactic, he began, "But…if you weren't tied down to Shinbashi…if you could make your own choice about this…then wouldn't it be nice to choose to leave Tokyo forever to live somewhere else."

She nodded. "But you forget, Inuyasha, I am a geisha. I have no right to choose."

He gave an internal growl, upset that she was thwarting him every time he tried to bring in the right words to say that would lead up to it. But little did he know that she was trying to thwart him, in hopes that he wouldn't continue this conversation any further. _Just drop it, Inuyasha, I don't want to hear it…_

Bluntly, Inuyasha asked, "What I'm saying is, if there _was _a chance that perhaps…perhaps we could leave Tokyo and go to Osaka _together_…would you come with me?"

Even though she had been previously upset, Kagome's heart nearly jumped in her chest at that direct question. Go with him? To Osaka? Of _course _she would go with him? How could he think otherwise? If she had the choice, then she would follow him to the ends of the earth, if not life, and all the problems that came with it weren't weighting her down at the moment. Still, what he was proposing was almost…almost…like he wanted them to stay together and that this meant _much _more to him than the small fling that it had originally been intended as.

"Inuyasha…" she said, choosing her words carefully. "I…I don't know what to say…It sounds nice, but…"

"Yes?" he asked eagerly, hanging on to every word. "If you could…"

Kagome sighed, looking away, her hand absent-mindedly resting upon her stomach, where the baby they both had created lay. "Inuyasha, if I could, then you know I would, but…I can't…we can't…"

His hand had been resting upon the ticket in his grey pants pocket, but he suddenly let it go. "Why?" he asked, feeling his heart sink.

"Because…my life, everything that I have known, keeps me here, in Shinbashi. I do not like my career, but it is the only place I have to go." She tightened her resolve, continuing, "I have Sango-chan here, and…the shrine…" Absentmindedly, her arms tightened across her chest, as if she was trying to hide something. "And…I can't think of anything else, but…that is what I have here. And more than that, you were given this chance. And you know I can't come with you."

Inuyasha realized what was going on. Kagome thought he only had one ticket. And she was trying to convince herself that everything had to be this way. Oh, how much he wanted to prove her wrong and wipe that upset look off her face. "But Kagome, I—"

He looked back at her. She was _crying_, or at least, tears were forming in her eyes. "Kagome!"

"It's nothing, Inuyasha!" she cut him off, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes, but they just kept coming.

"It's not nothing," he sighed, pulling her closer, feeling concerned. "Come on, what is it?"

Kagome was back in his arms once again, the place where she felt she belonged. The place where she felt safe. And yet, in this place of safety and security, she couldn't tell him the truth. She couldn't tell him that she was upset because she was pregnant with his child, that Kouga was coming back and once he learned the truth it would be all over for them, and that now he was leaving her alone when she wished with all her heart she could go with him.

She never wanted to show her tears around him, but now, with all that weighing down around her, she didn't care as she curled her hands in his shirt, and let her ravaged feelings and crazed pregnant hormones fly. "It's everything! It's Shinbashi district and Sango trying to tell me that this is wrong, and not feeling it's wrong, and then Tsubaki-kaa-san watching my back and this feeling that perhaps this is wrong…and then the fall chill and the worries that _he _might come back and when it happens everything will fall apart, and—" She stopped short. Though she could tell him in a vague way about Kouga, she couldn't tell him about the baby. It would be too much.

He knew something was wrong. His fingers came under her chin, to tilt her face to look up towards him. "And…?"

Choking back a sob, she spoke something that wasn't entirely false. "You're leaving."

He looked away… "Kagome…" How could he tell her when she was acting so…so…so upset!

Burying her face into his clean white shirt, she cried, never noticing how good it felt to let things out, even if most were half truths. "How can you expect me to be totally okay with this, Inuyasha! You're going to leave me and never come back!"

He should have told her. He knew, in that moment, he should whip out the second ticket, tell her that he hoped she would come to, and watch her tears dry, but…somehow, that seemed insensitive of him to tell her of this when she had so many other problems she was worried about. He knew he was going to regret it, but he decided that perhaps he should wait for another moment; a happy moment, so the moment he asked her to come with him would be the happiest moment of their lives.

His arms tightened around her, to hold her as if to never let go. "Kagome, I know…I know this will be hard, but…I promise you, it won't be as hard as you think."

"What do you mean?" she asked, still buried in to his chest as he comforted her.

"I'll tell you later," he said. "But I promise…you won't be crying when I tell you."

She didn't believe him. He probably was going to tell her he would write once a week or something. Either way, it still didn't help that he was leaving and she was to be left behind in her ruin. At least, however, she had avoided telling him of _that secret_ that was sure to make the entire situation worse. "Just hold me, Inuyasha…"

_Hold me until it all ends…_

* * *

The train whizzed across the landscape, its loud horn sounding across green fields like a siren. Most of the passengers slept, since this was the night train and it was nearing midnight, but a few were still awake, reading the Tokyo newspaper to catch up on the latest news from the capital.

Most seemed angry, or upset that they were being dragged back to Tokyo, most likely on business, since most of the passengers looked to be rich men in business suits. Some muttered how stock was going poor, or about errant workers that they needed to set in their place.

But one man on the train looked happier than ever to be returning to Tokyo.

He sat in a seat in the far back, reading a day old newspaper from Tokyo, reading how a man called Naraku had been caught in a plot to overthrow the emperor due to accusations from Houshi Miroku, who apparently, heard of him from "an anonymous source". That was most definitely the most interesting piece of news because, after all, you didn't hear about thwarted coups every day.

"Next stop, Tokyo station." a voice rang out as the conductor stepped in to their car. The man looked up, and pointed ears stood out from under his fedora hat, marking him as a youkai.

Glancing out of the window to see the approaching lights of Tokyo, Kouga smiled and said, "I'm finally back, Kagome."


	22. The Fall

A/N: Argh. bad week. Next week will probably be bad too. I'm gonna be at Anime USA this weekend, so please let me know if you'll be there too. I'll be dressed up as Link, hanging around with some Phantom of the Opera knockoff and (apparently) a Zelda, too.

Lots of angst and yelling. Ye who cry at sad stuff be warned. D:

* * *

**Chapter 22: The Fall**

The dreaded moment had come.

That morning, when Kagome woke up, she knew the day was not to be as she wanted. The day was dark, dreary, overcast, and as she awoke, something in her gut told her today was a day to be feared, and hated. For a few minutes, she sat on her futon, clad in her sleeping robe, her long black hair fanning out behind her, and contemplated on whether or not she should get up for the day.

Hugging her knees to her chest, Kagome closed her eyes, and took deep breaths to calm herself—her worry was making her feel sick once again. _Calm down, Kagome, it is your imagination…_

But nonetheless, she could not shake that feeling that today was a day that would shape her life in some way. No matter how much she didn't want to; eventually, she would have to get up. And so, after about fifteen minutes of wondering vaguely if Mother Tsubaki would buy her saying she was sick, Kagome stood up, and emerged from her bedroom, heading downstairs to eat a meager breakfast. Now that she was pregnant, nothing sat well at all, to the point of even Kikyou asking her if she was all right.

Everything was surreal, as if she was in a dream as she walked down the narrow, wooden stairs of the okiya. Little details, like the grain in the wood popped out of her, and in the back of her mind, she wondered if she was near delirious with morning sickness, or if she was stilly lying on her futon, sweetly dreaming.

How she wished it was the latter.

She came in to the dining room at the foot of the stairs, to see the geisha gathered around the low table, each eating their breakfast. When their eyes turned to her, each of them seemed to sense something odd. "Are you all right, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked, looking genuinely worried for her and not just for the money she might be missing out on. "You look really pale…are you sick?"

"A little," she replied, slowly sitting down at her place on the table, waiting for one of the maids to bring her breakfast.

Kagome could have gotten through breakfast, and the rest of the day just fine, had it not been for Tsubaki. "Oh, Kagome," she spoke with a sweetened tone, once Kagome began to nibble just a bit from her rice bowl. "You'll be happy to hear the good news."

"Good…news?" she repeated slowly, curious and feeling too ill to think a skeptical thought. If she had been up to full strength in body and mind, perhaps she would have realized what was going on sooner.

"Yes," Tsubaki grinned, so much that the ugly scar over her eye seemed to stretch along with her face. "I've just gotten a note—a note from someone important to you."

"Important to me?" Kagome repeated, unable to think. Tsubaki wanted to play the little game, where Kagome guessed what was happening, but truly, all Kagome could think about was crawling back in bed until the night came for her to entertain; the room was already beginning to spin. The medicine the good doctor had given her for her morning sickness worked, but not all the time.

Exasperated at Kagome's lack of interest, Tsubaki threw the note at her, shaking her head, "Silly girl, can't you read?"

Kagome noticed Sango's eyes were on her, and they looked more pitying than ever. Now concerned, Kagome picked up the note from across the table, her brown eyes widening more than ever as a gasp escaped her upon reading just the first line, _My dearest Kagome…_

She dropped the note; her hands were shaking too much to hold on to it. Her voice shook as she said, "K-Kouga is back?"

Tsubaki did not notice her fears as she continued, "Exactly! At last, you'll be back with your patron where you belong, and not having to entertain half-wit generals or ambassadors any longer! Once he is back and he sees you, he is sure to send an extra bonus for his happiness! Won't it be such a grand thing to have that easy flow of money back in our okiya once more."

Kagome didn't hear her. She couldn't hear her with the pounding of her own heart strong in her ears. _Kouga is back…Kouga came back…_

The world spun and spun. The colors of the room blended, and before Kagome knew it, she had to run to the courtyard to empty her stomach of her meager breakfast. "Kagome!" Sango called after her, running to find her friend hunched in the courtyard, sick as can be.

"Kagome-chan! Are you all right?" Sango asked, as she helped Kagome steady herself, though to Kagome, the world still spun.

Kagome's voice was hoarse as she spoke, "As all right as I'll ever be right now, Sango-chan…" her voice wavered, but Sango's eyes widened as she noticed Kagome's hand moving over her belly.

"My god…" Sango gasped, her voice in a low whisper. "No…no…it can't! It can't be! You aren't…"

"Just get me back to my room, Sango-chan," Kagome said softly. "There I can explain everything."

Nodding, her friend did as she was bid, helping Kagome steady herself as everything spun, giving a quick excuse to Mother Tsubaki, and helping Kagome sit back down on the futon. Once Kagome's door was slid shut, Sango rounded on her. "You are sure?" she asked, hardly daring to believe this happened to Kagome.

Her friend nodded, her hands gripping the blanket over her, "I even went to the doctor. He confirmed it. There can be no surer."

"And is it—"

"Yes," Kagome cut her off. "It's Inuyasha's."

Sango had never been more afraid for her friend. She knew, that now that Kagome was pregnant with another man's child, that there could be no saving her once this got out. "What are you going to do?"

Looking towards the window, opened up to the overcast sky, Kagome answered with a sigh, "I know what I must do now. Sango-chan…Inuyasha…he is going to Osaka. He got a job there. He is…he is leaving me. And I cannot go with him." She took a small breath as she assured herself, saying, "I will go to Kouga. It is my only option now. I will hope that once he learns of this, he will be generous, out of love for me. If I have to, I will go to him tonight. Inuyasha leaves tomorrow, and I can say my goodbyes then, but at least, I have a chance at staying here if I try to make up with Kouga."

Sango knew the decision must have broken Kagome's heart. To leave Inuyasha for Kouga would be nothing more than betrayal to herself, but, as a geisha, she knew she had no choice. It was her only option.

"Kagome," Sango spoke softly, "If there is anything I can do to help—"

"There is nothing, Sango-chan," her friend cut her off quickly, trying to keep all emotion out of her voice. "This is my own mess. It is time for me to clean it up, as best as I can."

* * *

That night, Kagome donned the fancy kimono of a geisha once again. Her face was painted stark white, her lips made red and full, and her hair piled atop her head again. Looking in the mirror, she was a stunning geisha once more, though on the inside, she was anything but. 

There, at a teahouse in the center of Shinbashi, she met again with Kouga Ookami for the first time in months. "Kagome!" he said, looking as if he wanted to lift her up and kiss her upon seeing her. "It seems like ages since we last met!"

"Yes," she nodded, her face once again behind the stoic mask. "Ages…"

He beckoned towards her, wondering for a moment why she wasn't wearing the comb he had bought her before he left, "Come, sit down, the minister of finance was just telling me a hilarious joke about business with those Soviets!"

"Sounds interesting," she replied, taking her seat beside him, where she should have been always.

The talk seemed a lot longer than before, and a great deal duller. Had things always been this long and boring? Kouga flashed her several longing smiles, but she couldn't even smile back at them. Her heart simply denied her even that. Sitting there, next to Kouga, after she made her choice, made her heart ache even more for Inuyasha.

Spending time with him was not this constant playacting. He spoke of things that were interesting, ideas that moved her. And when he smiled, she felt it all the way down to her toes. This was wrong, but such was her fate. The fate of all geisha.

Sitting there, in that ridiculous kneeling position for hours made her head spin once more, but she didn't dare ask for anything to drink. She knew, had she not been wearing the white makeup of a geisha, her face would have shown her pale, pallid complexion. Her laughs were not full, and now, she didn't have enough spunk left in her to charm a dull witted man. Her thoughts drifted again to Inuyasha, and it took all of her knowledge of acting to keep herself from bursting to tears at the thought of him leaving forever.

_He is leaving, _Kagome told herself. _He is leaving, and he cannot take me. This is my only choice. I don't have another option. _

She told herself that, over and over, and it seemed to work, but every time she heard something that could be vaguely connected to him, the pain hit her heart once more.

Kouga must have noticed that something was wrong after a while. He kept glancing at her, his sideways glances looking a bit worried. Kagome did her best to prove him wrong, but, alas, she wasn't as good at disguising her feelings as she used to be. He knew something was up, and she suspected he would ask her about it when they were alone later. What was she to say? Sickness might do, but it wouldn't work for long…

Closing her eyes, she told herself quickly, _I'll think of a way around that problem later. _

There was a new problem presented on her hands. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity the party broke up, with Kouga giving them farewells as they left the small room in the teahouse. Kagome overheard one of his coworkers telling him that his geisha seemed a little bit out of spirits that night, but she didn't care. "Out of spirits" was the least of things she was now.

Once all of Kouga's friends were gone, her patron turned back to her. Now, when they were alone, he could ask, "Kagome, are you feeling all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine!" she said at once, giving him a smile that made her sickened. She used to be so good at this, playing pretend…was she really about to go back to this for the rest of her life?

_I have no choice_, she reminded herself, for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening. _Inuyasha is leaving me. I have no choice at all…_

But even though she should have expected it, it still surprised her when Kouga asked her in a low whisper, "Will you come to my apartment tonight?"

She froze still. She knew what he meant by that. There could be no other reason why he wanted her to come to his apartment other than…

For a moment, she didn't know what she would do. How could she simply go back to that sort of life she had with Kouga after she and Inuyasha…

_But…if I say no…he'__ll know something is wrong, but if I say yes…_ She saw the face of her beloved hanyou in her mind, his soft smile only widening the gaping hole she felt in her heart.

"Kagome…?"

Clenching her jaw to hold back her tears, Kagome looked back up at him, all emotion hidden once again. "Yes, I will come."

* * *

Inuyasha lay on his futon in his small room, staring at the ticket in his hand, that was supposed to be Kagome's. He should have told her sooner, but…perhaps he was a little nervous about asking her to completely leave her life in Shinbashi and come with him to Osaka. I mean…she might say no, and then where would they be? 

He thought she liked staying with him, he thought she would do anything to leave her geisha life, but he still couldn't help the lingering doubts. _What if she says no?_

But then again, he _was _leaving the next day. If he didn't ask her now, it might be too late.

With a sigh, he stood up, tucking the ticket into his pocket. _I have no choice, I have to do it now. _Walking out of the studio, into the dark Tokyo night, he thought, _Kagome, please don't say no!_

From looking across the street, Inuyasha could see Kagome wasn't in the okiya. He even asked when a maid stepped outside to dump the water she had been scrubbing the bricks with. But, thankfully for him, the maid did tell him the name of the teahouse she was working at tonight, and when the party she was entertaining at was over.

He didn't like it much that he would have to follow her, but he wanted to catch her before she went back to the okiya, when she would be locked back under the tight security of her geisha mother's tyranny. It wasn't hard to find the teahouse in the center of Shinbashi district, but when he got there, he glanced through a few windows, but she didn't seem to be anywhere.

_Kagome, where are you? _He wondered, his hand brushing over the ticket in his pocket.

One of the teashouse maids seemed to notice him outside, trying to look through the windows. "Are you looking for someone?" she asked, glancing at him in a curious way, her eyes, like everyone else's who looked at him for the first time, flickering up to the ears on top of his head.

When the hanyou turned to her, for a moment he thought about denying it, but then he remembered that the maids of teahouses saw all, and knew of all times when geisha came to meet their lovers in the teahouse rooms, late at night. They were bound by obligation to keep their silence on any private affairs concerning certain geisha. "Yeah," he asked, keeping his voice down. "I'm looking for Kagome Higurashi."

"Higurashi-san?" the maid thought for a moment. "Oh, yes…she left just a few minutes ago, in a cab, heading for the main city…didn't you know?"

_Taking a cab into the city? _That seemed a bit…too suspicious for him. "Where did she go?"

The maid glanced back inside to make sure no one was in the hallway, and, quickly, leaned down and whispered the name of the apartment complex in to Inuyasha's ears. The maid then turned, picking up a tray and heading back into the warm teahouse, to continue serving the meals as if nothing had happened.

But Inuyasha…he could not so easily dismiss what had just happened. The woman had given him the number of an apartment…a place he did not recognize…and he knew very well why geisha would visit men's apartments late at night.

Anger at knowing there was something Kagome had kept from him bubbled up in his chest, but he suppressed it for a moment, heading back into the heart of Tokyo. _This had better not be what I think it is…_

* * *

Kagome had never been as nervous as she was when she went over to Kouga's apartment that night. The minute he let her in, and shut the door, she felt the sense of fear light up within her. She had never been so afraid before when she was at Kouga's. She stepped as far away from him as possible, backing away slowly. 

Looking back at her, Kouga noticed the fight or flight expression in his geisha's eyes. "Are you all right?"

He reached for her, without thinking, she turned from his reach. "I…" what could she say? She didn't want to be here; she was beginning to think that she was making a mistake.

Kouga came closer, looking at her with kind eyes, yet, she still could not make eye contact with him. "It's been a long time since we last saw each other."

"Y-yes…I know that, b-but I—" She was cut off as she gasped, when her patron suddenly came forward and grabbed her in a hug. "K-Kouga!"

"I missed you so much, Kagome," he said, burying his nose into the base of her neck. Inuyasha used to do the same when they were together. But it didn't feel the same, it felt wrong, so wrong. Every second she stood there, she knew this couldn't be. She couldn't go back to Kouga now. No matter how much she tried…she couldn't pretend anymore.

She tried to push him away, saying, "Kouga-san, wait, I—" But he cut her off again. This time, he kissed her.

It wasn't at all like Inuyasha's kisses. His were full of love, of understanding. She _needed _his kisses. This was as wrong as it could ever be. _No, stop! I can't do this anymore! I don't care what it will cost me, but…I can't go through with this. _

Using all her strength, she pushed him away, tears flying out of her eyes as she cried, "Kouga, please—!"

But at the same time, a door had burst open. Kagome froze, seeing the confused expression on Kouga's face. She prayed it was not what she thought it was, but…she turned, slowly, seeing Inuyasha standing there, a small piece of paper in his hand, looking shocked and as hurt as ever. "Inuyasha…"

The hanyou stared at the scene, seeing a disheveled Kagome and Kouga, her rich patron Kouga, now apparently back from Kyoto. "So…this is what you couldn't tell me about?"

Kouga was quite forgotten as Kagome ran towards Inuyasha, hoping there was a way to make him understand, "Wait, Inuyasha, this isn't—this isn't what it looks like!"

"What is it, then?" he yelled, the anger and hurt fully evident in his amber eyes. He shoved that piece of paper back in his pocket. Words could not describe the emotions in his heart. He had been betrayed…betrayed once again. "He's back and you're here…with him!"

"Inuyasha, I thought I had no choice!" she cried, hating herself for having come there tonight when she knew it was so wrong. "You said you were leaving. What was I to do? I cannot be faithful to you no matter what path my life takes, I thought you understood that when—!"

"It doesn't matter what we thought back when this all got started!" he roared, the intense look in his eyes scaring her. "Things have changed!"

"_How_? How have they changed?"

Inuyasha gave a loud growl, and then dug in to his pocket and pulled out the ticket. "This! I got another ticket! And I was going to ask you to come with me!"

Kagome's tears ceased for a moment, and she stood, transfixed, and horrified, looking upon that single ticket. _He had another one…he was going to ask me to go with him…To ask me to live with him…And I…oh gods, I almost…_

"But," the hanyou snarled, shoving the ticket back in his pocket, "Now that I know what kind of woman you are, I guess I won't bother."

At that moment, Kagome felt her heart shatter in to a million pieces. "Wait…Inuyasha…"

The hanyou turned back towards the doorway, but before leaving, he chuckled to himself, "Houshi was right…I should have known not to get involved with geisha…They only know how to lie and cheat their way through life, hiding everything behind a mask." And with that, he marched out of Kouga's apartment, leaving Kagome there, having fallen to her knees on the floor, tears flowing freely from her eyes.

"Inuyasha…Inuyasha!" she called after him, but he did not come to her. He would never come to her again now. She knew that it was all over. Because of her stupidity, her impulsiveness, she had lost him forever.

The one man she understood, she wanted to be with, the man she loved, was gone, never to return.

But she could not mourn her loss there. Kouga, who had heard everything, stood behind her, his arms folded in an angry look. "And what was _that _about?"

A surge of anger bubbled up in his chest. Everything…everything always led back to him in his mind, didn't it? He knew well enough what had happened, but now he _dare _ask her for the details, after her heart had just been ripped from her chest and smashed into a thousand pieces?

How easily sadness could turn into anger was shown as Kagome whirled around and glared a fierce glare back at him, "It's something you could _never _hope to understand."

Her patron stared, as if he couldn't believe it. "What, are you saying what he said was _true_?"

"Of course I am!" She stood up now, the tears upon her face now transformed into tears of anger…anger at everything now. "Did you think I mourned for you every day of your absence? Moping around like a lovesick girl? Of course I didn't!"

Kouga's eyes were wider in shock than she had ever seen them. "Wait…then you mean—"

"Yes," Kagome said, finally standing up to him. Finally, after so long of lying, telling him the truth. "That man, a better man than you could ever possibly be, was my lover for the past three months. I never cared for you besides our business relationship."

He didn't seem shocked anymore, but a sadness seemed to be creeping into his eyes. "All this time…?"

"Ever since the night I met you," she answered, trying to wipe the tears from her face, her white makeup smearing as well. "Don't you know, Kouga, that is what geisha do to their patron; we lie and tell you what you want to hear. Even when I gave the feeblest of lies, you believed me, because you wanted to believe it was true."

"K-Kagome…" In that night, she had broken two men's hearts. But for Kouga, the betrayal was even worse. His geisha, the woman that he thought had loved him back, had lied to him about everything. "There isn't…there isn't any way that things can be the same."

Giving a small sigh, she replied, "No Kouga, they can't."

"Why not?" he demanded.

Kagome's hands clenched into fists. "Do you really want to know why Kouga?"

"I think I have a right to!" he growled, anger filling him as well. Though it was more directed at the man that had stolen her away while he was gone.

"Fine," she spat, "I'm pregnant Kouga. With _his _child. There is no way I could stay with you, It would only be a scandal. And don't you _dare _tell me I can get rid of it, because I won't, no matter what happens."

Once again, her patron was shocked at this news, but not as shocked as he was at her proclamation. "You…you would rather be kicked to the streets then—"

"Yes," Kagome said, her voice clear and even. "At least I wouldn't be lying to myself anymore. Goodbye, Kouga. I hope you find another woman who could keep lying to herself even when her life crashed down around her." And with that, she turned sharply, leaving him standing there, and left his apartment.

It wasn't until she was halfway home that the tears came again. Her anger with Kouga had put aside the worries for a moment, but it hit her once more as she was just getting in to the okiya.

Inuyasha never wanted to see her again. He hated her now. He was going to ask her to come with him, but he thought she betrayed him. That face, that small smile he used to give her, was gone now, and would never return. And she never even got the chance to tell him the one thing she wanted to say for so long…

Everyone was asleep, when she collapsed on her futon, and cried more tears than she knew she had.


	23. Last Chance

A/N: Okay, first thing's first, I put up a poll in my profile page. It has to do with what was your favorite story of mine, so it can help me choose which story will come after Heart of the Sea. (I have like 3 plotlines to choose from, so knowing which story you liked best so far will help me decide!)**  
**

Anyway, I had a fun time at Anime USA. I was a Link, and the only one who looked the most accurate, I might add. Though, my arm is killing me because the shield weight about 5 pounds. And I had to carry it around ALL DAY. The dealer's room was fun, though, since I picked up a Roxas plushie, a Roxas figure, and various Kingdom Hearts stuff (ever since they announced that there would be a ROXAS game for the DS, I've been a happy fangirl).

Also, I was late because a friend of mine got me into reading Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles and while it's not my favorite, it's a pretty good read. (Though the mage guy that won't stop SMILING is bugging me.) I'll reserve judgment until I finish reading, though.

Onward to the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 23: Last Chance**

The sun was just rising in the sky, it's warm light covering the tall, brick buildings of Tokyo, the day just beginning. Beams of light filtered through the windowpane of the attic in the small photography studio, to catch upon the silver hair of the hanyou as he turned away from the window.

His amber eyes looked away, remembering when someone else, someone close to his heart had also looked out the same window, smiling as she looked up at all the stars…amazed as he held her close and told her of his dreams, his hopes for his life and hers as well…

With a growl, Inuyasha looked away abruptly. He didn't want to remember _anything _about her right now! _Especially _not that!

Turning sharply, trying to get his mind off it, the hanyou pulled a large suitcase out from the corner and threw it open, glancing around the small room for things to pack. But, even though he tried to his get his mind off it before, the thought just kept coming.

How was it, that only a week before, she was here, in his arms, smiling and laughing while they talked of many things. Did she already know that Kouga was coming back? Was she not laughing at his jokes, but instead laughing at his face, knowing that she would have to deceive him? Had she been planning on concealing Kouga's return from the start, just playing him like a fool from the very beginning?

The anger came, anger that was hard to keep under control. She told him, months ago when this crazy thing had all started, that their relationship would end when her patron came back. If she had just told him that her patron would be coming back, then perhaps they could have sorted out something to do…Or had it been in her plans all along for things to go like this?

A shirt was thrown into the suitcase unceremoniously as Inuyasha continued to think angrily. _So, what was I, Kagome? __Just part of some sick game?__ Was I the means of getting back at your patron? Or was I just some toy of yours to play with until he came back? Well? _

It had hurt so much worse, because he really had hoped that she would be accepting of his wish to spend the rest of their lives together. He had gotten that ticket, because he knew in his heart now, that she was the only one for him, and he had thought she loved him as well. He thought she would be thrilled, and would leap into his arms and beg him to take her away from this place at once.

He had almost felt it…He had been so sure…so sure that she loved him as well. _But, _he thought, trying to shove Tessaiga in the suitcase amongst the wrinkled shirts and pants. _She never did say it…_ She had never admitted it, so how was he to know for sure?

She _was _a geisha, and had said geisha were trained to be good actors, in order to fool men. If anything, he had fallen into one of her trap of woven lies, making him think whatever she wanted to think, never to really know the truth.

What hurt the most wasn't even the fact that she had tricked him, but that somehow, in his heart, he knew that he had deeply cared for her, more than he had ever thought he could.

And yet, all the same, she had betrayed him.

Trying to latch the old, black suitcase shut, Inuyasha sighed for a moment. _I should have known…I thought I was in love with a geisha once, but __Kikyou__ told me that it could never be, and that I shouldn't even try...And now with Kagome…_

Inuyasha could still remember Kikyou as a maiko, how beautiful she was when she danced for the men, while he watched through the windows of the teahouse. But she had stopped him, years ago before it grew into anything more with a warning.

He hadn't heeded her warning, and now he had fallen into such a mess with Kagome.

_I should have listened…_He tossed the suitcase aside, looking away. _I should have listened to her, and __Miroku__ and everyone else who warned me…You can't get involved with geisha, because they'll always leave you, in the end…_

Deciding to quit his hasty packing for now, Inuyasha pushed open the door and headed down towards the studio, intent on seeing Tokyo for one last time before he took the train to Osaka that night, alone.

Toutousai wasn't there; he had gone out for a bit. But as Inuyasha looked around, past the camera and couches and backdrops, he noticed the door to the darkroom was slightly open. Curious, he pushed it open, light falling on a line of pictures hanging on a string on the wall.

Coming closer, the hanyou could see the pictures were of wealthy families, women sitting next to their husbands, in meek poses, some pictures of children, and mikos; the normal things Toutousai took pictures of.

But there, at the very end of the line, was a picture Inuyasha recognized. It was of himself, and Kagome…that picture taken the day when Toutousai had snapped the camera when they had been looking at each other in that way…his heart ached to see the longing look on his face and such a sincere, honest look of caring in hers, as they were inches away from kissing in that moment—

Anger rose to the surface, as Inuyasha took one swipe at the picture, knocking it off the line. Growling, he turned away sharply, shutting the door.

What he didn't see was that picture float down, to fall behind the table, and slide between two floorboards, unable to be retrieved for a long number of years…

* * *

Kagome was dreaming; her mind lost in a wonderful world as she slept, still in her elegant kimono, the pain and anxiety all gone as she was lost in a world of deep slumber…

_"Kagome!"_Her mother, the face she remembered from years ago smiled down at her.

She was ten years old again, young, naïve, and happy as she smiled back at her mother, running towards her in this world of endless light. _"Mama!"_

As she ran into her mother's arms she saw several other forms emerge around her; her little brother, Souta, and her grandfather, all gathered around her, happy. "_Kagome," _They called her name again, and she had never been more content, more comforted than in this moment, when they were all with her.

But the tone changed, as her mother started fading farther away. _"Kagome, what is it that you want?" _

_"Mama!"_ cried Kagome, as she tried to run, faster and faster, to catch her mother who was fading from view into blackness. _"Come back, Mama!"_

"_What is it that you want?" _She asked again, only this time, the voice was disembodied, sounding eerie. Kagome was no longer ten, but had suddenly grown up, yet still felt frightened as she stood in the black void.

She saw someone, walking away into the distance. _"Hey!" _she called, chasing after them. _"Wait!"_ Kagome ran, faster and faster, knowing somehow that she must catch up, she just had to! _"Wait for me!"_

Her hand touched their shoulder, and they turned. She gasped, and the voice spoke again, _"What is it that you want?" _as Inuyasha looked back at her, a soft smile on her face.

_"Kagome…"_ he spoke, just like he did whenever they were alone, with all the caring in the world—

"Kagome!" Another voice cried out, pulling her from sleep.

The shrill voice of her geisha mother awoke her from the dream, a dream that, upon awaking, Kagome hardly remembered. It had something to do with her mother and Inuyasha, but after that, she knew nothing.

_But,_ she thought with a sad chuckle, her heart still aching from the night before. _What does it matter? I've lost them both anyway…_

Tsubaki called again. "Kagome, get down here this instant!"

Rolling her eyes, Kagome could only guess what her geisha mother wanted of her. After all, she had expected it. She felt oddly detached from everything now, not even caring when her geisha mother was as violently angry as she certainly was now. But what did it matter? Nothing mattered anymore, now that she had lost the one man she loved more than anything…

Getting up, Kagome vaguely noticed she still wore the same kimono she had on the other day, and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked terribly bedridden, with her hair rumpled all over. She looked exactly like she had on some nights when she had come back from a night of loving at Inuyasha's. Biting her lip, she fought the ache in her heart—there would be no more nights like that anymore.

_It was my fault he was so angry…_Kagome reminded herself, closing her eyes for a moment. _All __mine…__for everything I have done, to him and everyone else, I deserve this…I deserve it all…_

"_Kagome!_" Tsubaki roared again.

"I am coming, Tsubaki-kaa-san," Kagome muttered, shoving open the sliding door to the hall. "Pretty soon, I won't have to listen to your shrill cries anymore…"

Upon entering the dining room, Kagome could see that Tsubaki was sitting at the table, clutching a letter. Sango and Kikyou were there as well, behind Tsubaki, looking surprised. When Kagome stepped in, Sango's worried eyes shot up to look back at her sister, looking more afraid for her than ever. "Kagome…" she gasped.

"Be quiet, Sango," Tsubaki cut her off. "So," she began, in a falsely pleasant voice that Kagome knew was just barely hiding her rage. "Miss I-Can-Do-Whatever-I-Like-And-Get-Away-With-It has finally arisen!"

Deciding to play stupid, not even flinching at her geisha mother's taunting, Kagome asked, "What do you mean, Tsubaki-kaa-san?"

"You know what I mean!" spat Tsubaki, throwing the letter across the table, her eyes turning an almost deeper color in rage. "I hear you ran out on Kouga-san last night!"

_Is that all? _she wondered, knowing that if her geisha mother had certainly heard the whole story, she would have been much, much angrier. Perhaps Kouga didn't want to tell Tsubaki all of the details…in hopes of preserving her reputation.

_Well, damn him for trying! I don't care anymore! _"I don't deny it," Kagome began, her eyes narrowing back at her geisha mother, offering her a challenge. "Is this a problem?"

"Of course it's a problem!" Tsubaki shot up out of her seat, glaring back at the willful geisha in front of her. "Do you know what it could do to you, and this okiya if it got out? Why did you do it?"

Kagome's fists clenched underneath her kimono. Tsubaki had put her through _everything _and now she dare to ask why? "You want to know why? Because I am _sick _of this life!"

"_Sick?"_

"Yes, I am!" Kagome's internal rage at her geisha mother, and everything she had ever sacrificed for her career was let loose in a stream, without anything to stop her. "I am tired of dancing and singing and performing like some puppet for men I don't even care about! I am tired of forcing myself to make every man fall in love with me, lying all time, when the lies are killing me inside! I can't take giving myself up to every man that pays a little fee just for the sake of advancing my career! And what good is a career when set against happiness? _Nothing!_"

"And so you decided to walk out on Kouga and leave him without his geisha to satisfy him yesterday because you can't take it anymore?" Tsubaki glared, looking like she was ready to slap Kagome, yet she steadied her hand.

A harsh, almost chilling laugh came from Kagome, knowing now she could finally be free of everything. "Oh, much, much more than that, Tsubaki-_kaa__-san_. You remember that boy you saw, the one you told me to stay away from?"

"_Yes,"_ she snarled, the scar over her right eye nearly pulsing in rage.

A smirk crossed Kagome's face. "Well, _Kaa__-san_, you'll be happy to know that he has been my lover for these past months…a far better lover than _any _man I have ever met before, I might add."

Kikyou gasped. Sango tensed up, waiting for Tsubaki's reaction. Tsubaki looked frozen for a moment, unable to move nor say anything in her rage. "You…" she began, her hand shaking. "You little whore!" she roared, her hand slapping Kagome hard across the face.

Sango gave a small shriek and ran towards her friend crumpled on the floor, fearing for the baby. But when Kagome pulled herself up, she muttered to Sango, "I'm fine, Sango-chan."

"How dare _you!_" Tsubaki continued to rage, to the point that even her human eyes seemed to have a slight glow to them. "Do you know what you have done to your reputation and this okiya? Have you no respect for me or your patron?"

"Why?" Kagome demanded, not afraid of her geisha mother anymore. "Are you going to throw me out, Kaa-san?"

"Kagome!" Sango gasped, grabbing her friend's hand and trying to get her to use common sense, but their mother already had the answer.

"Throw you out?" their geisha mother looked angry, but she looked even more upset at that question. "How can you even think so! You make more money for the okiya than Sango or even Kikyou does! How can you just think I will throw away my biggest commodity so easily?"

Kagome's eyes narrowed as she rose to her feet, Sango practically hanging on to her arm, alarmed by Kagome's self-destructiveness. "You said I would be out of here if I ever saw that boy again before, didn't you?"

Now, Tsubaki glared back, her petite geisha hands nearly curled into fists. "Are you _trying _to get me to throw you out, Higurashi Kagome? I told you, I _cannot _let such a moneymaker like you go, even though you will _never _be allowed outside the okiya again without supervision. There is no reason to kick you out otherwise."

"No reason, huh?" Kagome stared at her, wondering for a moment if she really was going to say what she was planning to. _If I just walk away now, I can still keep my job as a geisha. __If I don't say anything more…_

But there was a thought in the back of her mind, a thought that suddenly burst through._ Trying to stay a geisha before lost me __Inuyasha__. Who knows what it'll make me lose if I stay now! _

Kagome's hand slipped over her belly, a soft smile upon her face as she remembered the child that lay within her. "If there is no reason, Tsubaki-kaa-san, then I'll give you one; I am pregnant." After the collective gasp, she added, "And it's _that boy's _child."

Her geisha mother looked stunned, her mouth hanging slightly open. But suddenly, it shut tight. "Not for long," she spoke at once. "You will get rid of it, immediately."

"No," Kagome spoke, the one word she had wished she had spoken two years ago.

_"What?"_ Tsubaki glared at her. "You will get rid of it as soon as possible, Higurashi Kagome!"

"No!" Taking a step back Kagome kept a hand protectively over her child. "You made me get rid of my child before; you made me give up the one thing I wanted to have. I did it before, but I won't do it again! Not to Inuyasha's child!"

There was silence in the okiya, as no one dared to speak. Who would have thought that Kagome, the Sakura blossom of Tokyo, the one geisha who strived to be the most famous of all in Shinbashi, would defy her mother and the whole framework of geisha like this. No one had ever dare step so far over the line when being a geisha was their only option in life.

Tsubaki's face seemed to slowly turn redder and redder with anger. "You dare defy me like this? You dare risk your reputation and your entire career as a geisha, for that bastard of a peasant!"

Kagome's voice had never been more confident as she stared her geisha mother down. "Yes, I don't care anymore…Out there isn't hell, as we are taught. This place is, where we defy ourselves and what is in our hearts to survive. Nothing, not even life on the streets, can be worse than slowly dying inside every day of our lives!"

Everyone held their breath and waited for what would happen next. Little Rin sat, looking from the top of the stairs, a hand held over her mouth as all waited for Tsubaki to speak.

"If that is the case," Tsubaki spoke, her voice suddenly calm, yet sharp. "Then you are dead to me, Higurashi Kagome. You are dead to everyone now. No one will ever speak of you again, since you have turned your back on us. Now, get out of here!" she spat, sharply turning her back.

For a brief moment, the triumph in Kagome's heart deflated, as she realized what she had just done. Her eyes met with Sango, divided by their geisha mother, as Kagome knew her life as a geisha, was over.

But, even though she had lost so much, she would keep her child, and that meant so much more to her than anything left behind here.

And so, with one last look at her friend she knew she could never see again, Kagome turned her back, and walked out of the Tsubaki okiya, never to be trapped there again.

* * *

Later that afternoon, as she made her way out of Shinbashi, the life she once had, and the life she loathed, Kagome slowly walked along, glancing at various teahouses she worked at before, a part of her going to miss the kind teahouse mistresses of the women she had met who had before friends.

_That is what I must lose, for this little one,_ she told herself, touching the spot on her belly where she would soon feel the child grow. _But now, I've lost __Inuyasha__ and my career, please don't tell me I have to lose anything more…_

"Kagome-chan!" a voice broke through the din. Kagome turned for a moment, to recognize her friend Sango, dressed now for entertaining.

"Sango-chan?" Kagome spoke for a moment, before looking away as her friend came up to her. "Please, Sango, don't try to change my mind. I already—"

"I know that," Sango cut her off. "What you did, Kagome…it was hard, but…now you will have your child," she said with a small child. "What you've always wanted…"

Kagome sighed, "Yes, but…why did you come, Sango-chan? I don't need your pity—"

"I came as soon as Houshi-san called," her friend told her, with the utmost seriousness. "He's seen Inuyasha at the Tokyo train station. His train was delayed."

Looking away at once, Kagome spoke, "Sango-chan, I know what you're trying to tell me, but…he doesn't want me. He turned me away, and—"

"I know that! But, he still doesn't know, does he? About the baby?"

Kagome shook her head in response. "No, he doesn't know, but—"

"At the very least, you owe him that, Kagome-chan! Besides," Sango gave her an encouraging smile. "Kagome, even Houshi-san knows that he loves you, very much. Perhaps if you tell him, he will understand."

"But—"

"You want him back, don't you?"

Hesitating, Kagome finally replied, "Yes…I do, oh gods, more than you can know, Sango-chan!"

"Then go to him, hurry!" Sango told her at once. "He's waiting, but he won't be there forever. Go to him and explain. You can try and see if he will listen, but if you don't go, then you'll never again have the chance…"

There was a slight pause, before Kagome's brown eyes, filled with near tears of thankfulness met her geisha sister's, the one who had been there for her for the longest time, now at their last parting. "Thank you, Sango-chan…"

And with that, Kagome took off running, heading down the main road out of Shinbashi district and towards downtown Tokyo.

Sango watched her younger geisha sister, who she had always looked after, and worried about so much, until she disappeared into the distance. _May you find happiness at last, Kagome-__chan_ she smiled for a moment, before turning away, back into the heart of Shinbashi.

* * *

Kagome tried to run through the dirt filled streets, finding it hard to run in the zori she wore. Her hair whipped out behind her as she dodged passerby, her heart pounding in her chest as she continued to run, as fast as he could, with Inuyasha only in her mind as she continued to race against time.

_Inuyasha__, please wait for me, I'm coming! _


	24. The Hidden Memory

A/N: Okay, I lied.

I said there would be 24 chapters, but there's gonna be 25. That's right, there's ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT. I thought of ending it with this, but I got another idea that'll bring it all together better. And answer a few questions, too.

Anyway, my friend knows how to pick some damn good manga. Yeah, I really got into Tsubasa -- I think the Tokyo arc is what did it for me. (If you read Heart of a Youkai then you'll understand why I like the Tokyo arc. ;D) It's not gonna replace Inuyasha by any means, but considering the Inuyasha manga is ending soon (OH SNAP!) it'll be something to look foward to weekly.

Oh, and First Kiss, Replacement, and Only in Dreams are up for voting in the IY Fanguild! So, you know, it'd be nice to get some votes... . .

* * *

**Chapter 24: The Hidden Memory**

The ground pounded beneath her feet, the wooden sandals she wore hitting the dirt roads of Shinbashi district as she ran as fast as she could, heart pounding in her ears. Lights and color flashed before her eyes as she ran, everything seemed to slow slightly as she raced with all her might.

The kimono she still wore from the night before was becoming a hindrance, and she didn't even care as she felt it begin to slip around her waist, the blue-grey silk billowing around her, flapping in the air. People stared at her, seeing the look of fear across her face at being too late, but also the deep determination in her eyes—the look that kept her going. Knowing that she _had _to make it in time, she could _not _be too late, for her own happiness.

_Please,_ she prayed to the heavens, feeling her hair at last become free of the loose confides and fly with the wind, making her seem like the woman in the song she had sung for the summer festival—a lover of the wind, running after him once more, fearful of him leaving her forever. _Please…don't let me be too late!_

Kagome's own heart called out to the open skies, dark with night, calling for him, _Inuyasha, please, don't leave me now!_

* * *

Sango looked out of the window of Miroku's apartment, looking down at the endless streets below; as lights of passing cars flashed by. She could not make out any people walking on the streets, but somewhere, out there, she knew, her geisha sister, her best friend in the world, now raced against time to be able to be with her lover at last. 

Sango felt a warm hand on her shoulder, and finally, turning away from the window, she looked back up at her patron, looking worried. "I'm afraid…" she admitted, the worry clear in her eyes. "What if I sent her too late? What if she doesn't make it? What if she does and he rejects her still? What if—?"

"Sango," Miroku cut her off quickly, and even more suddenly, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, as she willingly leaned against him, a new comfort they had come to after so long. "Whatever happens now is out of our control. It is all up to both of them."

"But—"

"There is nothing we can do now, Sango," Miroku told her, holding her closer, so that she was leaning against his strong, warm, comforting body, her head resting on his chest, and as Miroku held his geisha, he knew at once that they fit perfectly together—and now, he should never let go. "We are no longer a part of their lives. All we can think about now is ourselves," Sango's eyes met his in a brief moment, honey brown to deep indigo. "And where we go from here."

There was a moment's pause as they merely glanced at each other, their eyes speaking all the words for them. Everything that had been unspoken for so long was now said without saying a word.

After that long moment, Miroku looked as if he was about to release her, but Sango's hand reached out to take his. "Don't," she whispered, her voice pleading. "Let's just…stay here for a while."

He looked shocked for a moment, but then gave a soft, loving smile, his own eyes twinkling softly, and nodded. The geisha found herself back in her patron's arms, where she now wanted to be. _You were right, Kagome-chan,_ she thought with a small sigh, closing her eyes. _But if it wasn't for you telling me how wonderful this all is…I probably would have never gotten the courage to admit it for myself…_

_For this, and everything else, Kagome-chan, thank you. I just wish someday to see you again to tell you, but somehow I know…_

_I will never see you again, will I?_

* * *

A train whistle sounded in the air at the train station, breaking the hanyou from his moment of silence. He had been thinking about _her _again. With a small growl as his eyes glared at an unseen person, he thought perhaps it was best that he stopped thinking about her now. 

_Kagome…_

Leaning back on the bench against the hard brick wall, the hanyou rummaged around his grey pants pocket. He wore his traveling clothes, which weren't much different at all that his normal ones, to be honest, but calling them 'traveling clothes' gave him small gratification—a farce that perhaps he was rich enough to afford such things. All he had to his name was about a hanful of yen, a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, and the bundle of clothes that he had shoved into a small suitcase, not to mention the rusty old blade he had shoved in there as well. Though it would have been better to leave it, it had been his father's heirloom, so Inuyasha could never get rid of it.

Pushing past the pack of cigarettes, and fighting an attempt to smoke one of his remaining ones after he already went through three as it was, the smoldering butts littering the area around the bench, he pulled out two train tickets. One was his, and was still clean and crisp looking. And the other…it had been for _her_, and even though he was tempted to throw it away and get rid of all memory of it, every time he tried, _her _face came up in his mind once more, and he couldn't just trash it so easily.

_Kagome…_ his heart ached as he thought of her. _Why? Why did you betray me? Why did you make me care so much for you and then…_ He could see her smiling, warm face in his mind. The face he had come to care for so much, the face that had deceived him all the time.

Inuyasha could still see it in his mind—that picture of her as she was in Kouga's arms, kissing him freely. Sure, she pulled away a moment later, but that was only because he had showed up. And her tears afterward—though the pulled on his feelings and made him want to believe her so much…he couldn't. He had never been hurt so badly, and lashing out, while gratifying at the moment, hurt even worse now.

Clenching that ticket to Osaka in his hand, the hanyou thought, _She asked me for forgiveness, and I couldn't forgive her. But I wonder, if she somehow asked me again, would I be able to?_

His fist suddenly tensed as he turned away sharply. _Keh! It doesn't matter! I'm going to leave soon, and I won't ever see her again. At least now I learned my lesson, the one I should have learned long ago—getting involved with geisha only leads to pain and suffering._

A shout came across the train platform. The train he was going to be taking was _finally_ beginning to board. _I guess this is it,_ Inuyasha stood up, taking his suitcase. For a moment, he glanced at Kagome's ticket, before throwing it roughly on the ground. _Goodbye Tokyo._

_And goodbye, Kagome…_

* * *

The geisha pushed roughly against people as they exited the Tokyo train station. She had been here before; several times with Kouga, so she was more thankful than ever that she would know her way around. But there were so many people! She didn't know that the walk in entrance was so crowded! People standing, people walking, people leaning against the walls, people talking, so many people in the way between her and Inuyasha! 

She even resorted to tearing through crowds, roughly pushing people out of her way as she ran towards the trains, hearing whistles and the sounds of trains beginning to move on the tracks. Her heart shot with fear, with the thought that it might be Inuyasha's train that might be taking off now.

_Oh, please, don't let it be—!_

Kagome saw a conductor walking towards the exit as she ran past a large clock and called out to him. "Wait, please!"

He turned to her, staring at her disheveled appearance, but nevertheless kept up the formal speech, asking, "What can I do for you?"

"Which train," Kagome spoke between gasps after running for so long. "Which train is the one leaving for Osaka tonight?"

Stroking his mustache, the conductor pointed, "Platform 3-A, but you might want to hurry; it will be moving along any minute."

"Thank you!" she said quickly, speeding off in that direction, keeping any eye out for Inuyasha. Her eyes darted back and forth, glancing across for anyone with silver hair. As she got closer, seeing passengers board, she did not see anyone who looked like him. Her heart began pounding once more, the fear striking her heart. _What if I am too late?_

"Inuyasha!" she called, drawing small attention to herself, but damn what anyone else thought. "Inuyasha, please, are you there?" No one responded. "Wait, Inuyasha, please, come back!" she yelled towards the train, running for the door. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha, please come out!"

Someone grabbed her roughly by the arm, jerking her back. "That's enough!" One of the attendants told her, as she attempted to pull out of his grip. "You're making a scene, now please, get out of here."

"I can't!" she yelled back at him, not afraid now. "Inuyasha is here, I have to find him! I have to tell him—"

"I don't care _what _you have to tell him!" the man snarled, tightening his grip. "If you don't shut up, then we're going to remove you from the rail station."

Kagome's eyes, which had so long held sorrow, now narrowed, a deep fire lit within them. "After everything I have gone through," she warned, his fists tensing. "You will _not _keep me from finding him!" And she pulled out of the strong grip, running towards the train door.

The disturbance was noticed by many passengers of the train, and while some rolled their eyes at this surely drunken wench running around screaming her head off, and closed the curtains, one particular man could not take his eyes off the scene, his breath running short as he could not believe it.

The silver haired passenger suddenly stood up, almost in a daze, pushing past the last of the entering passengers. "Let me out!" he yelled, pushing a man into a luggage cart. "I need to get off this damn train!"

The conductor was coming through to make the boarding checks, and ran right into the man as he headed for the back door. "What do you think you're doing?" the conductor demanded, halting the passenger's absurd attempts to leave. "You've already boarded, we can't just let you—"

Inuyasha shoved him roughly away, amber eyes glaring sharper than ever. "Yes, you can!" he yelled as if it was a matter of life and death, eyes glancing back out the window towards _her _as the attendant chased after her.

Kagome had just grabbed the handle towards the heavy door, but she was stopped as suddenly, the conductor pulled her back from her long hair. Kagome cried out in pain as he dragged her away from the door. "No, Inuyasha!" she called.

"You're not going anywhere near that train!" the assistant roared, his eyes raging. "You're going to be thrown back on the street where you belong!"

But all of a sudden, the grip on her hair went slack as Kagome heard a sharp punch being delivered to her captor. She heard the "off!" the assistant gave as he fell to the ground, and the words of the one who had saved her, cold and angered, "Is that any way to treat a woman?" a familiar voice said.

Hardly daring to believe it, Kagome slowly turned, her eyes near to tears as she saw him once again; the man she loved. Inuyasha stood there, the same as ever, though as an angered expression was on his face, his amber eyes refused to look at her. "Inuyasha…" she nearly gasped.

"Kagome," he said, trying to keep all emotion out of his voice. Truly, he was relived, and happy, and glad she came back to him, but he couldn't let her know that.

"You…you're here!" she exclaimed, the tears nearly leaking in her eyes. "I wasn't too late!"

"Right," he said, just as cold, walking away from the unconscious attendant, still keeping his eyes away from her. "What are you doing here, Kagome?"

She shook her head for a moment, "What do you think, Inuyasha? I came to ask, no…beg your forgiveness."

His voice was colder than she ever knew. "Huh, is that right." But how he wouldn't look at her hurt more than his words did. "You don't need forgiveness. What's done is done." He attempted to walk away, but she wouldn't allow it.

"Inuyasha, please!" she begged, reaching out and grabbing his hand in a moment of desperation. "Please, listen to me! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to betray you! I didn't want to choose between you and my career, before, but…" Her eyes met his. "Now I've…I've finally made my choice."

"You have?" The hanyou raised an eyebrow. "I thought you made that choice when you went back to Kouga."

She shook her head, small tears flying as her heart had never hurt so much, the fear that he wouldn't listen no matter what she said rising higher. "I couldn't do it—I was going to tell him I could not be with him when you came! But now…I've told him I never want to see him again. Inuyasha, I…" Brown eyes met his gold, hoping he would be able to see through her again, like he did so often. "I made my choice, and I chose you. I have ran away from the okiya. I can…I can never go back to that life now."

The hanyou folded his arms as he tried to block out her words, but some small part of himself begged him to listen to what she was saying. "Huh, so you through away everything, on this once chance, did you? It's too late, Kagome—I'm leaving."

"I know that, but please!" she spoke in near streams of tears, desperate. "You can't leave me, Inuyasha! I know I should have said it before, I should have said it every day, but," she through all her hopes into this chance, "I love you!"

The hanyou tensed for a moment, his eyes being drawn to her as she knelt on the floor before him, trying to wipe the constant tears from her eyes. _Did she really? She does…_ But even so, doubt after being hurt once clouded him. He gulped after a moment, saying, "You've lied to me before, Kagome. How am I to know you speak the truth now?"

The train whistle roared in the distance, as the conductor gave the last call for boarding. Even so, Kagome looked back up at him, her eyes wide and pleading. "I know I have done wrong, by lying to you, Inuyasha…" she spoke softly. "But you always knew because of my eyes…Tell me, do they speak the truth to you now?"

He looked at her once, and then he knew. Her eyes never lied. In them, the deep chocolate depths, he could see the deep feeling she held for him. How she felt her whole world would shatter to millions of pieces if he left her now. She loved him, and he knew it now.

And that feeling alone was enough to get him to forgive her ten times over, and bring the urge to take her in his arms right there and whisk her off to Osaka, to live out their dreams.

Kagome could see the rough façade he wore fading, as she came closer to him, speaking softly, "I'm sorry for everything that happened…I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Kouga…I was afraid it would mean the end, and I didn't want it to end…now that I've fallen too deep…But please, can we have another chance? No more secrets, no more lies. No more of hiding and having an end because of my career…Just me and you, and no one else." There was silence as Inuyasha gave no indication. She waited for a long moment, before adding in a last plea, "Please…"

And after all that, the hard look on the hanyou's face faded for a moment, and he sighed, "You ask me to forgive everything that happened…to take you in again and be like things were before…Well, Kagome, I have one condition."

She waited, her breath stopping for a brief moment, when he suddenly, pulled her closer, his eyes revealing the deep emotion within. "If you forgive me for not listening when I should have."

Kagome gave a small gasp, as she couldn't believe it, and then suddenly, nothing at all mattered in the world. Inuyasha was going to give her another chance! At last, there was nothing else, but them—

And then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her like he had so many times, yet this time, it was a kiss of longing, and thankfulness, and the love that they shared so much, finally able to show it to the world without care. And as she pulled away, she saw a tear that had formed in his own eye, and though it disappeared quickly, in one moment, she knew how much the thought of never seeing her again had affected him.

But something else needed to be said, "There's something else, Inuyasha," Kagome said, her voice slightly worried. And, deciding to get it out all in a rush as he turned to her, she spoke quickly, "I'm pregnant. And with your child."

"_What?_" Inuyasha practically jumped back, his eyes as wide as saucers staring directly at her, unable to think coherently. _She is…she is…and…wait…how could…it…me…? Aw, fuck it! _

The train whistle sounded again, as the engines began to roar. The conductor called for last call, and both Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each other for a brief moment. "Can we talk about this later?" Kagome asked her face slightly red after telling him the news.

"Yeah," he said with a small sigh, thinking that they could leave _that _particular conversation for tomorrow, and rightly so…he had been through enough stress in one day. "Come on," he said, pulling the ticket he had thrown on the ground before she came, only to pick up a second later, out of his pocket. "Let's get out of here…let's go to our new home."

And, for the first time, a bright smile came upon Kagome's face. "Yes!"

And so, as the train sped off into the night, happiness had come for the delivery boy and the geisha at last. Now, in each other's arms, they would remain, forever.

* * *

_Now you now know the fate of my dear friend, and younger geisha sister, Kagome. I never saw her again, as I suspected; we were in two separate worlds now, never to collide. I believe, though I may have dreamed it, that I saw her, in the crowd of my wedding to Miroku Houshi, smiling at me with Inuyasha at her side, with her two year old daughter in the summer of 1928, but I will never know._

_I was sad never to hear from her again, but as long as I knew she was happy at last in my heart, that was enough. We both found our happiness, in separate ways, in the end. _

_If you read through her tale, then you must know why I left this chapter out of my book, and why I left it to you, my descendants. I write it in her memory, but she would not want her story out there, I know. After Mother Tsubaki took it upon herself to make sure she was erased from all Shinbashi record after we heard from an assistant at the railway station that she left with Inuyasha, __she didn't want her story repeated anywhere._

_A geisha had ran away, yet ended up happy. Happy because she fell in love with someone other than a patron. This is dangerous, especially if any wary maiko got a hold of her story. It would teach them that there was happiness outside of our profession; happiness and comfort. It could be found, if searching in the right places. But, of course, no geisha mother wants her geisha to know of this—more than Kagome would run away, I know._

_I was forbidden to speak of her, we all were, including Rin, who admired her. But she __affected us__ all. I became Rin's older sister, and taught her some lessons Kagome had taught me. Rin decided she wanted to live up to Kagome's memory, and became a famous geisha in Shinbashi, until the war, that is. I know Kagome would have been proud. I decided to love Houshi-san in my heart, and left the geisha profession in 1928 when I got married, though I still was allowed to teach Rin until she was old enough to be a geisha in her own right. _

_And Kikyou…who I never knew had a small affair with Inuyasha when she was a maiko, but hid it all along, eventually stood up to Okaa-san as well. She hated her geisha life as much as Kagome did, but bore it until there was an opening for a job she did want—to work as a governess for some rich woman's children. She ran away soon after Rin became a known maiko, leaving a note for Okaa-san, saying she wished she did this long ago, but never had the courage, until Kagome set an example. She ran to Nagasaki, and sadly, died when the horrible bomb was dropped by those Americans._

_But, it was all because of Kagome that we each grew in our own ways. And for that, I write this. So you all can understand this courageous woman and why I admired her so. How her determination brought me to admit my feelings for Miroku Houshi…and how her courage allows me to live to this very day._

_Kagome, I will not meet you again in this lifetime, but if I ever had words to say to you now, I would say this, "Thank you."_


	25. What Lies Beyond the Story

A/N: LAST CHAPTER! Well, this story seems to have gone by fast. Or maybe it was just me. Anyway, if you recognize some names in this chapter, then you have been reading my fanfics for WAAAAY too long. ;D (Yes, I love picking on Kuro.)

Anyway, I have some news. The final results of the Inuyasha Fanguild 3rd Quarter Awards results are in. **First Kiss** won **FIRST PLACE** (!!!!!) Best Romance: Miroku/Sango and **Replacement** won Third Place Best Romance: Miroku/Sango.

THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO VOTED AND SUPPORTED ME FOR THOSE STORIES!

So, as a thank you gift, I worked to get this out a day early. Aren't I nice?

Oh, and a preview of the next story is at the bottom, as usual.

* * *

**Chapter 25: What Lies Beyond the Story**

_Tokyo, Modern Day_

"_Up until now, I have not been entirely truthful about my life. There was another geisha in our __okiya__, who was my age, and at one time, heading towards being the most famous geisha of all in __Shinbashi__. Yet, something happened, which led to her leaving my life forever. Now, as I have learned, her name is erased from history, yet she will live on in pictures for eternity._"

Koshita sighed and closed the old, battered book once more. Nothing. Once again, he had flipped through the pages of the memoirs of Houshi Sango, and yet, there was no hint at all to Tokyo's mystery geisha, and her fate. He had hoped, that a review of the text might help reveal something, anything, but alas, it was to no avail.

He could understand the woman wanting to protect her friend's privacy, but why shut away this story and never tell anyone? Didn't she realize what her tight-lipped writing was doing to the sake of history? If she had only thought of giving a hint, then perhaps…something could eventually be found.

History was full of it's constant mysteries and theories, and the real fun in the work was discovering the gaping holes left in the record, and bringing to new light untold stories that would surely delight the imagination. For years now, he had searched about any hint of the mystery geisha, reading up on geisha customs and old records, burying his face into dusty old books, but alas…it was all for naught. Not one clue had ever surfaced, besides that one line in the book he held before him.

Glancing over to the framed, old black and white picture of her, the geisha in her elegant kimono, an expressionless look upon her face as she stared at the camera in almost a challenging gaze, Koshita asked, "Will I ever know who you were?"

The geisha said nothing, but her eyes, like all geisha's, divulged nothing; she left him with no reply to his silent question, just a mysterious look behind a pale face. Geisha were women amongst secrets, and this geisha had a web of secrets around her; and he was sure that the task of unwinding that web would never be his own.

* * *

There was a small bustle of chatter in the Takahashi Teahouse in downtown Tokyo, as customers sat at lowered tables and sipped small cups of sake, as men had in the great teahouses of Shinbashi eighty years ago. Takahashi Teahouse was a restaurant, built in a historic teahouse building to resemble a geisha teahouse from years past. In addition to being served by women dressed as geisha, it also had a reputation for good food as well. And according to several historical journals, Takahashi Teahouse also was one of the most accurate reproductions of a geisha teahouse they had ever seen…almost as if the proprietor had lived through the era. 

A young woman dressed in an elegant kimono, with the stark white makeup of a geisha upon her face, gave an annoyed growl as she marched back into the server's waiting area, folding her arms in an annoyed tone. If she had not been in such a bad mood, she would have had just the look of a geisha, with elegant black hair in a bun and chocolate eyes. Turning to another woman who watched her, she muttered, "I _hate _this!," twisting a small bracelet of rosary beads from underneath her draping sleeve. "Why did _three _waitresses need time off so we had to work today!"

The other woman looked a little bit older, and had a calmer look upon her face. She also had the same hue of hair and eyes. "Kiri, you heard Okaa-san. She said she needed our help today. _You _agreed to do it, so I don't know why you complain—"

"I forgot how much I hate this, _Sara __Onee__-san_," the woman called Kiri muttered to her older sister. "You and Okaa-san might like this, but," she glanced at herself in disgust for a moment. While the light blue kimono, taken from her mother's stores, was pretty, Kiri always felt out of place in it. Even more, considering her mother's legacy. "I hate it."

Sighing, Sara told her with a soft smile, "At least Otou-san agrees with you."

"With good reason," Kiri muttered, and glanced around the small room for a moment. "And _where _is Kuro? He said he would help out in the kitchens today because we're so short-staffed!"

Sara shrugged, the sleeves of her green kimono sliding a little to reveal another rosary bracelet, like the one of Kiri's wrist. "Who knows where our little brother is? He asked me to cover for him. I think he's meeting that girl from the university…what's her name?"

"Suki," Kiri rolled her eyes. "I've heard him calling her at night—asking her to dinner and things. I don't understand why he needs to see her at night anyways, considering he spends all day at the campus following her around anyway."

Sara giggled for a moment, "Well, that's Kuro for you. Do you remember when he was little? Always following Okaa-san around like Otou-san, saying he wanted to protect her, too? But, I admit, at first, I did think it was odd that Kuro wanted to go back to the university after twenty years…And that human girl doesn't know, does she?"

"Not yet, I don't think. Though, she has asked why he wears that 'odd necklace'. I suspect she'll find out soon enough—he's planning on bringing her home sometime soon."

Another snicker came from Sara as she imagined it; "Oh, that will be fun. Okaa-san will be fussing all over her, and Otou-san will probably growl out her when she asks him why he has the same 'odd necklace'!"

"At least it'll be better than the time _I _brought home a boy," Kiri muttered. "You think since it's been about fifteen years since then, Otou-san's gotten over it?"

Laughing, Sara said, "No, I don't think he'll ever forget it. He nearly scared that boy out of his wits after he admitted he was from Kyoto, and Otou-san demanded to know if he was 'the spawn of that wolf'!"

Both sisters laughed, reminiscing on humorous memories of their family from all the years they could remember. There were many memories to think of, as the passage of time to normal humans seemed relatively slow to them. While they looked human, Sara was eighty in human years, and Kiri almost sixty.

In fact, as far as they knew, they were one of the last of their kind left in Tokyo, much less Japan. Now, anyone of their blood had to hide it, so those few who lived long enough to remember the days when they still roamed Japan freely were hidden by secrets, and shrouded in mystery…

* * *

"Here you go," a woman dressed as a geisha from years ago said, as she set the plate of food down upon the small table in the restaurant. "Sorry about the wait—we're a bit understaffed today…" 

"That's all right!" The man in nothing but a t-shirt and jeans, something that would have never been seen in this building eighty years ago said. "As long as the food is good, we don't care." Members of his party nodded in agreement.

As the woman gave a small bow, as geisha of the past would have done, and got up to leave the party in peace, she heard a bit of their conversation. "Hey, speaking of geisha, did you hear about that new exhibit at the Tokyo historical society?"

"Oh, you mean the one about that 'mystery geisha'? Yeah, I heard about it. It's interesting, how they can rattle off a list of names of every geisha in Tokyo from that time, except hers."

"It's odd though, since geisha were like celebrities back then. To hear of one vanishing…that's just enough to strike anyone's interest."

The woman, listening to their conversation, smiled for a moment, as her finger gently touched a tarnished silver wedding band upon her finger, as she walked into the back of the restaurant, into the waitress's waiting area. Two women who were talking instantly looked at her, and said at once, "Okaa-san!"

It had been eighty years, but after all that, Higurashi Kagome, now Takahashi Kagome, was still able to fit into a kimono and wear the white makeup of a geisha with elegance. Many things had happened over the long years, since she had stepped onto that train to Osaka with Inuyasha after going back to him that dark night, but oh, how she could never regret it. Everything in her life after that one moment had been happy.

"Okaa-san!" Kiri complained, resisting the urge to take off the rosary bracelet now that she was in her mother's presence. "Do I have to wear this?"

Kagome merely chuckled, knowing her second daughter was just like her arrogant husband. "You do if you want to look like a geisha, Kiri. Besides, you look lovely, so I don't know why you complain."

"Not everyone likes being 'lovely' Okaa-san," muttered Kiri, folding her arms inside the large sleeves of her kimono.

Kagome only shook her head, knowing she would never see eye to eye with her. "Sara, where is Kuro, I need to tell him—"

"Not here," Sara told her at once, shaking her head. "He went to lunch with that girl from the university, Suki."

Giving a small sigh of annoyance, Kagome spoke, "I _told him_ to come here after he was done with class, but if you see him, can you tell him I won't be here to close up? I'm meeting your father at the train station after he takes the bullet train from Osaka, and I'll see you all at home."

"We'll tell him," Kiri piped up, "After I make sure I get compensated for handling what was supposed to be _his _responsibility here."

Nodding, Sara answered after her sister, "_I _will. See you at home, Okaa-san."

Smiling at her children as she walked out the door, Kagome spoke, "We'll pick up dinner on the way back, so don't worry about it! Love you both."

As she walked out of the restaurant, Kagome wiped the white makeup from her face, still, after eighty years, never feeling comfortable in that outfit unless she was working. It seemed that there were some things that never changed, no matter how much time had passed.

Walking the streets of Tokyo that had changed so much as her yellow kimono swished around her, Kagome could recall that if she closed her eyes, she still saw the Tokyo she knew eighty years ago; every detail exact in her mind.

After she and Inuyasha got to Osaka in late 1925, they were married soon after, and before she knew it, their first child, Sara was born. Though they lived not much better than Inuyasha had on his own in that small room above the photography studio, they were happy together. They stayed in Osaka as Inuyasha became in charge of the delivery services of Myouga-san's small company. They lived in Osaka, away from everything they knew in Tokyo for a while, until word reached Kagome that her geisha sister, Sango, was getting married to Houshi Miroku at last.

Kagome smiled to herself for a moment, remembering the joy in her heart that she felt when she had heard the news, happy that her friend had decided this at last. Even though she thought they would never be able to go, luck opened up when Inuyasha had to follow Myouga-san to Tokyo to resolve a problem in the deliveries. Though Kagome did not talk to Sango, or anyone else who attended the wedding, for a brief moment, she and her sister exchanged glances, so the other knew that at last, they had found their happy destiny.

As they lived in Osaka for years afterward, soon both Kagome and Inuyasha discovered something that, while a bit awkard for Kagome, was a blessing for both—because she was the mate of a hanyou, her lifespan had increased as well. As long as she continued to take his blood every year, she would live for nearly as long as he did. Now, eighty years later, she only appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties. It was a problem they had avoid thinking about; the differences in their lifespan, but now, Kagome could live longer to be with him and their children.

Things got difficult for them as Japan began to enter World War II. Kiri was born early on into the war, as when things began to look bad for the country, Inuyasha took his family up north, to Hokkaido, thankfully out of the way when the Americans, the people Kagome had so idolized, began bombing Osaka.

After the defeat, the country was a mess, and Inuyasha knew he would find no job in his field here. Though it was a risky move, they decided that the best choice would be moving to America, despite the hardships they would face after the war. Even though they were finally in the country that Kagome always wanted to visit, starting over in a new place was hard. Even though the Americans had beaten them soundly in the war, they suffered for the prejudices almost every time they walked down the street. But even so, never did Kagome let Inuyasha know it bothered her. At least here, in America, they were able to find work, and were able to eat.

Eventually, as time went by, Inuyasha was able to start his own shipping company, to pull the family through. But, after nearly twenty years of living in America, they both began to miss Japan. Kagome hated to admit it, but living in this place for most of her life made her miss it, and she had to admit, that though she had thought of America as a glamorous place in pictures, she didn't belong there.

In the 1960's, they moved back to a Japan that was beginning to get back on its feet, and things began to look up for them. They moved back to Tokyo, and Inuyasha began ShipJapan, a company that now was rivaled by many international shipping companies. Kuro was born, and everything seemed to be coming together at last. During the early days of Inuyasha's company, Kagome decided to start a restaurant to make a little extra money. Even though she hated to admit it, she did miss her geisha profession just a little bit, so she started the historical teahouse, which became a prosperous little business.

Now, the teahouse was a hobby, as they did _very _well off of Inuyasha's company.

Sighing, Kagome could see images from so many years past. Such long, happy years, with hopefully many more before them as well. Walking into the train station, in the same place the same station she had run into, begging for Inuyasha's forgiveness years ago was located, but it looked so different now. The bullet trains were incomparable to the steam trains of eighty years ago. It had changed so much, that she was sure she couldn't point out where the platform that she and Inuyasha had been on when they reconciled was anymore.

Things did change over history, and some things Kagome wished hadn't changed. She had grieved for a long while when she heard her geisha sister, Houshi Sango had died a few years ago. Sango had written a book of memories on her life as a geisha, that Kagome had read. Her friend had said nothing more about her than a single sentence, and Kagome was thankful to her friend for that. One thing she had regretted was that she never kept in contact with her friend after Sango married. But at that time, she and Inuyasha were so poor, so to even waste a single sen on a sheet of paper was inconceivable. And then after the war, she didn't even know her geisha sister's whereabouts until her book surfaced in the 1970's. As a last testament to her friend, Kagome acquired a picture of her, taken in the 1920's when Sango was still a geisha, hanging up in the teahouse. When she passed her old friend's picture, she always gave a sad smile, thankful that she had the time to know her in her life.

Since it was Sango that told her to go after Inuyasha that night, years ago, she considered it to have been Sango who, in the end, was the one that pushed her to go after her happiness.

There was an announcement on the loudspeaker, and there was a whirr of noise as the bullet train came in. The white train slid like a snake upon the tracks, until it skidded to a sleek stop upon the long platform. A moment later, the doors open, and Kagome waited, eyes glancing around, until, at last, she saw Inuyasha.

With a happy smile upon her face, she bounded over to him, not a very elegant move in the lacquered zori she wore, but still, was at his side at once. Inuyasha wore a business suit, with a black hat tight over his ears, his silver hair spilling all over. Now that there were less youkai in Japan, the ones that remained had to hide themselves with spells, usually a concealing spell centered in a rosary bracelet. But, since Inuyasha couldn't wear the gawdy rosary to business meetings, he was forced to go as he was. It didn't matter, since the people he was meeting with all knew what he was anyway.

As always, the hanyou's amber eyes lit up when he saw his wife, smiling softly at him, as she had for all these years. "I didn't know you would be picking me up."

Kagome smiled, and let his arm slide around her waist as they walked out of the train station together. "Well, I let our kids handle the teahouse, so I thought we might as well pick up dinner on the way home while they lock up the restaurant."

"Speaking of teahouses," he cut in, as they walked out into the street, underneath the sea of tall, steel buildings. "You know that all the supervisors were planning a weekend excursion to the Kyoto geisha district? They asked me to come, but I turned them down." Grinning mischievously, the hanyou muttered in a low voice, "I told them I've got my own personal geisha to serve me at home."

Elbowing him in the side, she grinned back, "Careful, Inuyasha, unless you don't want any of this geshia's services tonight."

"That's the problem with where you geisha have gone these days," Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Now we have to be nice to get anywhere with you."

Chuckling as she leaned against him, Kagome admitted, "True, but you'll notice if you're nicer, then our services are so much _sweeter._" Though she didn't have hanyou hearing, Kagome could have sworn she heard him give a soft growl of anticipation. But, she changed the subject, "Anyway, even though you're not going to ask, I should tell you the children are fine, though Kiri doesn't like working at the teahouse for the day."

Snorting, the hanyou spoke, "I don't know what she's talking about. Girl's got it easy compared to years ago. And don't even get me started on Kuro. Kid thinks he can't live without his music player…never stopped to realize their might have been a world without i-whatzits and all those fucking fancy gadgets."

"Kiri gets it from you," Kagome smirked for a moment. "But I am worried a bit about Kuro. He's shirking all his chores to spend more time with that girl from the university. He didn't help out at the teahouse today, but instead decided to take her out to lunch."

Inuyasha laughed out right. "Kid's an amateur, if he thinks little lunch meetings will win him a girl. Kid better turn on the charm unless he wants an empty bed at the end of it—"

"_Inuyasha,_" Kagome glared in a warning. "That is _not _something we are supposed to suggest to him, understood?"

"I know, I know," the hanyou muttered quickly, in an attempt to salvage the situation. "I'm not saying he should be into it _just _to fuck her, all I'm saying is—"

One icy glare from Kagome silenced him on the subject. _Men,_ she thought with distaste. _You just see if your geisha is so willing to serve you _now, _Inuyasha. _She was annoyed at him for a while, until they passed a building that she recognized.

"Wait, Inuyasha, let's go in here for a second!"

He turned to look at the sign. "The Tokyo Historical Society? What for?"

"You'll see," she told him with a small smile, dragging him in. The inside of the building was very clean, with a shiny floor and walls. All around the plain black walls, by the information desk, were pictures. A girl sat at the information desk, looking as if the arrival of the two woke her up from a boring afternoon. Kagome ignored the girl, but glanced at all the pictures on the walls, until she saw a particular cluster that caught her interest. "This is it!"

Inuyasha looked up at the captioned pictures on display on the wall. The exhibit was titled Tokyo's Mystery Geisha, and a large picture of Kagome herself, one of the ones Toutousai took was underneath. Both were silent for a moment, as they looked at the black and white pictures upon the wall; many of Kagome in various kimono and in geisha poses, a poster advertising her singing in the Summer Festival, the picture Inuyasha took that day when she wore the western clothes, and the one Toutousai had taken of them both in that moment of weakness. Next to the pictures was copies of various geisha records with her name scratched out, the jade comb Kouga had given her, and excerpts of Sango's memoirs and other writings that vaguely mentioned her.

As both Kagome and Inuyasha's eyes came to that one picture of themselves, as they looked at each other with such longing clearly revealed, she leaned against him for a moment, remembering the feelings she had eighty years ago, that had never waned. The old wedding band that Inuyasha had bought her with the last of his money in Osaka still remained upon her finger, and ever since that day, at the Tokyo train station, they had been together.

"Excuse me," a woman said, breaking both Kagome and Inuyasha from the moment. The girl looked young; like a college student, and she wore a nametag that said, "Yuki" upon it. "Does this exhibit interest you?"

Glancing at Inuyasha for a moment, Kagome said with a small smile, "A little bit. It seems…like it has a wonderful story behind it." In that moment, Kagome brushed some of her flyaway hair behind her ear, her wedding ring in full view.

Yuki noticed instantly. "That is a very old ring," she said with a gasp. "Has it been in your family long?"

Inuyasha kept silent, but Kagome gave a soft smile, "Nearly eighty years."

"I see," These people seemed…interesting. And Yuki couldn't figure out why they looked so…familiar. "Well, would you like the brochure on the exhibit?"

Kagome shook her head. "No, that's all right, we have to get going. Thank you, though."

She turned towards the door, as Inuyasha beside her asked, "Can we go home now?" He hated being in public and being talked to when he didn't have to be.

Laughing, she spoke, "Yes, Inuyasha, we can go home now. No more little excursions, I promise."

Yuki watched them walk away, the man in the silver hair and the woman in the kimono, wondering why they looked so familiar, as if she had seen them before. And then, remembering the exhibit as it hit her with a pang, she instantly looked at the picture Akane had found under the floor of the studio, the one with the mystery geisha and the youkai man.

_It's the same people!_ she realized with a jolt, fighting the urge to run to Koshita at once, but… She looked back as the woman and her husband walked out of the doors, still seeing them through the glass. For one moment, the woman, the geisha who had been lost so many years ago, looked directly at her, and in that moment, Yuki understood.

There was no need to tell Koshita-san. There was never any reason to.

_The geisha part of __Higurashi__ Kagome's life was over now, lost in history. _

_And like many things lost to time, the mystery geisha "The Sakura Blossom of Tokyo" did not want to be found._

* * *

A/N: The End! Wow, what a story...I mean really, I took a few liberties in this one, more than I had in any others. It's actually the first one I've written here without a final battle; and if that isn't revolutionary for me, I don't know what is. I promise the next story gets back to the "Let's Kill Naraku Yay!" theme, though. XD 

So, here's your preview:

**Heart of the Sea**: (AU/Action/Adventure/Romance). _Kingston, 1722._ Her father always told her she had a Heart of the Sea, and that her destiny would lie upon the drifting waves. But now, engaged to Kouga Wulfe to secure a position for herself after the death of her father and the disappearance of her sister, it seems that her father's prediction from long ago isn't true. But a pirate raid followed by kidnapping lands Kagome prisoner on the dread pirate Inuyasha's ship. Horrified, and at his mercy, she only wants to escape, until she realizes there is much more to this man than his gruff appearance; she begins to suspect that he might have a Heart of the Sea as well...but what does this mean once Kouga begins chasing after her? And what is this Jewel of the Sea, and why does both Inuyasha and a mysterious pirate named Naraku want it? Action, adventure and romance on the high seas, it's an Eowyn fanfic like you've never seen before!

Yeah, I know. Inuyasha and pirates is a recurring theme in Inuyasha AUs, but, I was never satisfied with the pirate fics I saw. (All the ones I saw sucked, I admit.) So, like with **Protector of Her Heart**, I took an old idea and made it mine; better. I hope you all stay tuned to read the fanfic coming to you next week! (If I can finish the outline, that is).

But, even so, thanks for reading **Fallen Sakura** all the way to the end! And double thanks to the reviewers, who's feedback never fails to brighten my day!

Thanks again, and hope to see you soon!


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